Poland To Campaign For GMO-Free European Union

Poland will propose to the European Union that it introduces a complete ban on cultivating, feeding or trading any genetically modified agricultural products, Farm Minister Marek Sawicki said Sept. 23. The biggest ex-communist EU member does not have a proper overall GMO legal regulatory framework after attempts failed to reach a political agreement in the

Seed Maker Pioneer Races For Crops As Climate Changes

Achanging climate that many scientists fear will hurt global crop production means seed makers must work harder to meet food needs as world population grows by 30 per cent by 2050, a top world seed executive said. “Agriculture production is moving to the North because those climates are becoming warmer. Some of those environments are


Let’s Keep Risks In Perspective

The nuclear crisis in Japan is likely to have a big impact on the future development of the nuclear industry around the world. In a less direct way, it could also lead to more starving people. The link between the two issues is trust. Nuclear power generation is safe, we’ve been told. Unfortunately, no one

Calling All Wannabe Wheat Breeders

If you’ve ever had a hankering to develop your own wheat variety, the University of Manitoba and Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada have a deal for you. Researchers have created a participatory wheat-breeding program that allows farmers to take early crosses and then make the genetic selections on their farms, based on their management practices and


EU Wrestles With Issue Of Food From Cloned Animals

European Union governments and lawmakers remained deadlocked on how to regulate the production and sale of food from cloned animals, following all-night talks in Brussels that ended recently. EU sources said the remaining sticking point was a demand by lawmakers in the European Parliament for a full EU ban on the sale of food derived

China GMO Corn Hits Policy Deadlock

China’s first strain of genetically modified corn is facing policy deadlock and may take years before it can be planted, a Chinese researcher said on March 7. China gave the phytase corn safety approval in late 2009, and at the time scientists said they expected large-scale production could happen as early as 2012. The GMO


Non-GM Glyphosate-Tolerant Flax Being Developed

Glyphosate-tolerant flax that hasn’t been “genetically modified” (GM) could be on the market by 2014, according to James A. Radtke, vice-president of product development for Cibus, an American plant trait development company. If the $6-million project between Cibus, the Flax Council of Canada, and Agriculture and Agri- Food Canada is a success, Canadian flax growers

Committee Approves 14 New Varieties

The federal decision in 2009 to axe kernel visual distinguishability as a requirement for registering wheat varieties in Canada prompted lots of frowns among grain handlers and farmers. But at least one plant breeder is smiling. Anita Brlé-Babel, a winter wheat breeder from the University of Manitoba, received approval from the Prairie Wheat, Rye and


New Research Trends Increase Production Efficiency In Pigs

Researchers have found some pigs are genetically predisposed to use phosphorus more efficiently than others, a University of Manitoba researcher told the Manitoba Swine Seminar last week. Laurie Connor, head of the university’s animal science department, said it’s still unknown how these pigs differ genetically than others, but the differences are potentially important. Connor emphasized

Little Gain For Farmers From Off-Patent Soybean

Monsanto should stop pretending it’s doing farmers any favours in the upcoming expiry of a patent on a genetically engineered soybean, says Bob Friesen, president of Farmers of North America Strategic Agriculture Institute. “Farmers are sick and tired of these empty promises,” Friesen, the former longtime president of the Canadian Federation of Agriculture, said in