In
This Issue:
EC URGES
BRITAIN TO BOOST GM CROPS
The European Commission is pressing British Prime Minister Tony Blair to do
more to encourage the cultivation of GM crops in Britain. Frits Bolkestein,
the internal market commissioner, delivered the message at a meeting with the
Prime Minister in Downing Street. Speaking before the meeting, Mr. Bolkestein
said: "It is a rather saddening spectacle to see that 0.03% of worldwide acreage
producing GMO produce is within the confines of the EU compared to about 60-70%
in the US."
"We want to hold our own, leading in new technology, and this is a new technology
of prime importance." Mr. Bolkestein also brushed aside concerns about the safety
of GM crops, saying "I'm talking about products that have been approved by the
EU's own scientific committee."
Blair is one of the leading supporters of GM technology in the EU although
there are significant elements within his government who do not share his views.
BRAZILIAN SCIENTISTS
ASSURE THE SAFETY OF GM CROPS
Flavio Finardi Filho, professor of the Experimental Food and Nutrition Department
of the Pharmaceutical Sciences Faculty of the University of Sao Paulo (FCF-USP),
claims "There are no studies that prove that genetically modified (GM) foodstuffs
are hazardous for the health." Since the beginning of the year, nutritionist
Cintia Bezuti, researcher for the FCF-USP, is responsible for reading studies
on the effects of GM foodstuffs on animals. "None of the studies that I have
read shows any adverse effects caused by this kind of food," claims Bezuti.
RESULTS FROM
PHILIPPINE BT CORN FIELD TRIALS ENCOURAGING
Results of multi-location field trials demonstrated an overall 40% yield advantage
for Bt corn compared to traditional, hybrid corn lines. The field trials were
conducted in six areas in the Philippines. In addition, the results point to
a direct correlation between the level of corn borer infestation and the resultant
crop yield. Across the six trial sites, yield benefits from Bt corn increase
dramatically as levels of borer infestation increase.
For more details on the field trial results, please visit http://www.isaaa.org/kc
NEW MEDIA CENTER IN THE UK BRINGS
SCIENTISTS AND THE MEDIA TOGETHER
Next month comes the official launch of the Royal Institute's Science Media
Center. The Center is the brainchild of the institute's director, Susan Greenfield,
and the broadcaster Lord Bragg of Wigton. Greenfield is a professor in pharmacology
and a media don. She believes that the collapse of faith in science and trust
in scientists can be put down to an often, unintentional media bias. Her aim
is to help journalists to find the right scientist to talk to at the right
time. "We need to help scientists understand the demands of the media," she
says. And it is vital, says Lord Bragg, "that scientists learn to communicate
if they are not to be marginalized."
NEW OECD REPORT
ON BIOTECHNOLOGY PUBLISHED
Biotechnology has long held out the promise of providing alternative methods
of industrial production that are both environmentally friendly and economically
efficient, thus breaking the seemingly inevitable circle of industrial growth
fuelling environmental damage. Until now, however, there was little in the
way of hard evidence to support the assumption of such potential. A new OECD
report, The Application of Biotechnology to Industrial Sustainability, cites
actual case studies as proof that economic gains and respect for the environment
can go hand in hand.
The report draws on 21 case studies from a wide range of industrial sectors:
pharmaceuticals, fine chemicals, bulk chemicals, food and feed, textiles, pulp
and paper, minerals and energy. The case studies also cover a wide range of
countries: Austria, Canada, Germany, Japan, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom,
the United States and South Africa.
The report concludes that it is in the interests of both developed and developing
countries for governments to promote the appropriate use of biotechnology.
New "bio-processes" can substantially reduce emissions and the use of hazardous
raw materials. They result in fewer by-products, generate fewer waste materials
and consume less energy.
For further information, please visit http://www.oecd.org (click
on Biotechnology) or contact the OECD Media Relations Division at news.contact@oecd.org
CROPBIOTECH NET
HAS PHOTO GALLERY
Do you need digital photographs? The International Service for the Acquisition
of Agri-biotech Applications (ISAAA) has a collection of digital photos, available
for free. Photo files are categorized according to: agriculture, crops, marketplace,
tissue culture, ISAAA-related activities, cityscape, people, scenery and miscellaneous.
Go to this website: <http://www.isaaa.org/kc> and
click on the services section which will lead you to the photo gallery. ISAAA
requests that it be acknowledged when its photos are used. |
