This archive includes some of the more significant news items which have previously appeared on the What's New page. Some of these web-links will be out of date now, so if you find a later link, please let us know. Some items (particularly those marked +) may be described in our Learning Links or Hot Topics pages.
6/11/03 + Mark Ruskell MSP publishes GM Liability Bill Consultation Paper for Scottish Green Party. A similar Bill [126K] for England and Wales is being backed by Friends of the Earth - but see 26/3/04.
13/1/04 + Government's advisors (ACRE) submit advice on the Farm Scale Evaluations to the UK Government and the Scottish Executive. See: ACRE News Release , Margaret Beckett's statement and Allan Wilson's statement (Scotland). The Soil Association's response is a good summary, and the full ACRE report [120K] is available.
5/3/04 + The Environmental Audit Committee of MP's describes the scope of the Farm Scale Evaluations as "very narrow" and says the results "cannot be regarded as adequate grounds for a decision to be taken in favour of commercialisation." See Committee report and Friends of the Earth Press Notice.
5/3/04 + Scottish Ministers decide to approve GM maize, but ask farmers not to grow it. Sunday Herald article .
18/3/04 + Motion and debate led by Green Party in Scottish Parliament, to block approval of Chardon GM maize. An opposing amendment was carried by 60 votes to 59 (along party lines).
25/3/04 + Motion and debate led by Green Party in Scottish Parliament, registering concern that the Executive did not use its legal power to block approval of Chardon GM maize. Motion defeated by Labour and LibDems.
26/3/04 Westminster debate on a proposed new law (see 6/11/03) blocked by a Labour MP using a little used Parliamentary device. The law would have required that Parliament approve laws to prevent contamination and set up a liability regime before any GM crops could be planted in the UK. The Bill now goes back into the queue.
31/3/04 + Bayer Cropscience withdraws application to grow Chardon LL GM maize in UK.
15/4/04 Highland Region declared GM-free zone.
26/5/04 Moray Council decides to declare a GM-free zone (Moray GM Concern: 01309 690796)
16/7/04 + UK Government announces plans for consultation on 'coexistence' of GM and conventional crops - criticised by Friends of the Earth, whose latest opinion poll shows massive support for anti-contamination laws.
22/8/04 + World Trade Organisation (WTO) dispute, initiated by US, Argentina and Canada in May 2003 against the European Union 'moratorium' on GM imports, continues - the Panel decides to appoint scientific advisors. Genewatch reports and Friends of the Earth comments
8/9/04 Outgoing European Commissioners back off attempt to allow GM contamination of seeds up to 3 times detection level. However they approved 17 varieties of Monsanto's GM maize seeds for sale in Europe.
8/10/04 A Highland organic farmer and three other anti-GM crop activists won their appeal against their convictions for taking part in a protest at Munlochy on the Black Isle in August, 2001.
20/10/04 + Government dismisses many concerns over coexistence, raised by the Commons EFRA Committee report of 9/7/04. (See 'In-Depth' links) The Government statement seeks to justify high contamination levels in organic crops, but refers to the current consultation ongoing with selected 'stakeholders'.
26/10/04 Outgoing European Commissioners approve import of Monsanto's NK603 GM maize for human consumption. A critical statement was published by Friends of the Earth.
19/11/04 US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced new draft guidelines which would effectively legalise food contamination from unapproved GM plants. Critique from Friends of the Earth.
29/11/04 European Union committee failed to overturn bans on specific GM crops in Austria, France, Germany, Greece and Luxembourg. The same committee also failed to approve a new GM maize variety (MON863).
29/11/04 + Critique published of European Food Safety Authority and its bias in favour of GM industry.
2/12/04 + Official review recommends replacement of AEBC (Agriculture and Environment Biotechnology Commission). Guardian newspaper reports.
13/1/05 + Consumer organisation "Which" launches GM campaign : "Don't lose the right to choose".
23/2/05 + Mass lobby of Westminster MP's, calling for strong 'coexistence' controls on GM crops.
24/2/05 + Friends of the Earth reveals leaked submission by the European Commission to the World Trade Organisation complaints panel - despite promoting GM foods to the public the Commission admits there are significant safety concerns.
15/4/05 European Union adopts emergency measure requiring shipments of corn gluten feed and brewers grain from the US to be certified free of illegal Bt-10 GM maize, now known to contain an antibiotic resistance gene. Friends of the Earth repeats its demand for investigation by the UK Food Standards Agency.
30/4/05 + AEBC (Agriculture & Environment Biotechnology Commission) disbanded , but website remains online.
10/6/05 German judges order disclosure of secret study on MON863 GM maize, showing worrying changes in rats fed on the maize. (See 8/8/05)
22/6/05 Early Day Motion 396 on GM contamination and liability, and consumer choice
26/7/05 Bayer withdraws application to grow GM oilseed rape in the European Union.
8/8/05 European Commission approves Monsanto's controversial MON863 GM maize as animal feed. (See 10/6/05)
22/9/05 + Government research shows GM seed persistence for 15 years, suggesting legal 'coexistence' alongside conventional crops will be effectively impossible.
27/10/05 European Union extends controls on imports of US maize products for another 3 months. (In March 2005 Syngenta acknowledged that some of its maize was mistakenly contaminated with the Bt-10 variety, unauthorised in Europe.)
27/11/05 Swiss referendum approves a 5 year ban on use of GM plants and animals in agriculture.
19/12/05 Early Day Motion 1300 on 'Terminator' technology
21/12/05 European Commission drafts law which would allow GM contamination of organic farming. FoE sounds warning.
10/1/06 + 'Who benefits from GM crops?' - report published by Friends of the Earth International, analysing GM industry claims and practices world-wide. (available as PDF file [1787K])
13/1/06 European Commission approves the import and use of three types of Monsanto GM maize. FoE condemns decision.
22/1/06 UK survey of local authority departments by GM Freeze shows enforcement procedures are inadequate to ensure accurate GM labelling or to safeguard the food chain. The attitude of the Food Standards Agency to enforcement is described as "luke-warm".
23/1/06 Austria bans Monsanto GT73 GM oilseed rape due to the risk of genetic contamination and the inadequate risk assessment. Friends of the Earth welcomes the decision and calls on the UK Government to follow suit.
26/1/06 Early Day Motion 1488 on enforcement of GMO traceability & labelling regulations
30/1/06 Greece extends its ban on Monsanto MON810 GM corn seed, despite a European Union order to lift the ban. The Agriculture Ministry says cultivation of the seeds "poses an immediate threat to the environment" by disturbing biodiversity and spreading GM pollen to traditional crops.
7/2/06 Early Day Motion 1599 on GM contamination of organic products
7/2/06 World Trade Organisation issues draft ruling, in the dispute over Europe's cautious approach to GM imports. The document remains confidential, but reportedly says the EU broke trade rules. The original complaint was lodged in 2003 by the US, Canada and Argentina. Friends of the Earth issue press statement.
24/2/06 Over ninety Texas farmers file a lawsuit against Monsanto and two affiliated companies. The farmers claim 'Roundup Ready' GM cotton did not tolerate the weed killer, as intended, suggesting an inserted gene malfunctions during extreme heat and drought.
28/2/06 + Friends of the Earth publish leaked copy of confidential draft ruling in the World Trade Organisation dispute over GM imports to Europe. Analysis by FoE [175K] shows the US-led coalition failed to win many of their arguments; and while the WTO declared national bans illegal, this does not prevent countries from restricting or banning GMOs.
5/3/06 News reports show the UK government and the Scottish Executive now regard 'Terminator' technology (where GM results in sterile seeds) with less caution. Applications are to be assessed "in the same way as any other GMO", on a "case by case" basis - this is the UK view to be put forward at the March meeting of the UN Convention on Biological Diversity.
8/3/06 + Contamination report from Greenpeace and GeneWatch reveals worldwide illegal spread of GM organisms. 113 incidents are documented - "a disturbing picture of widespread contamination, illegal planting and negative agricultural side effects" - citing GM pig meat on sale, pharma-crop contamination, and smuggling.
16/3/06 Trial of GE drug causes unforeseen reaction in six volunteers, leaving them fighting for their lives in intensive care.
17/3/06 Meeting of the Parties to the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety in Curitiba agrees on labelling of GM products being moved between countries. This will only become mandatory among signatory countries in 2012.
31/3/06 In Curitiba, UN Convention on Biological Diversity upholds the international de facto moratorium on Terminator technology plants that are genetically engineered to produce sterile seeds at harvest. ("genetic use restriction technologies")
18/4/06 + Friends of the Earth publish documents revealing that the European Commission has been approving GM foods and crops despite having serious doubts over their health and environmental impacts.
30/4/06 Department of the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs had denied GM trees were ever grown in the open in Britain - until given details by Independent on Sunday. Only GM elms are now grown, "at a secret indoor location" in Dundee.
18/5/06 Polish President Lech Kaczynski signs parliamentary act introducing a ban on the trading of GM seeds in Poland.
25/5/06 German firm BASF Plant Science decides against planting GM potato crops in Ireland this year. The Environmental Protection Agency had granted a licence, but Meath County Council unanimously passed two motions against on 8 May.
7/6/06 US consumer group, Center for Food Safety, files lawsuit against regulator FDA, calling for rigorous testing on GM foods before they are marketed.
13/6/06 French government condemned for licensing open-air trials of GM pharmaceutical crops.
21/6/06 + Soil Association policy document "New research on the impact of GMOs on health" lists several studies showing serious effects on animals.
24/6/06 Walls / Unilever apply to Food Standards Agency to use a synthetic protein, manufactured using GE, in low-calorie ice creams.
18/7/06 European Commission found guilty of maladministration by Ombudsman, for withholding documents outlining scientific concerns over safety of GM food and crops.
20/7/06 + 'Public consultation' announced by Government on 'coexistence' of GM and non-GM crops in England. Closed 20 Oct 2006. Proposals are biased in favour of industry. Friends of the Earth published a guide to taking part. (While this exercise related to England, the Scottish consultation is scheduled for "Summer 2007", and may follow a similar format.)
21/7/06 Cornell University study shows Chinese Bt cotton farmers lose out on profits after seven years, as new pests attack.
31/7/06 A new study shows that even small amounts of pollen from the GM maize Bt176 have a negative impact on the life history of the European swallowtail butterfly.
18/8/06 US Agriculture Secretary belatedly admits supplies of US long-grain rice are contaminated with an experimental GM variety, LLRICE601, developed by Bayer but not approved for human consumption. Independent on Sunday reveals serious delays in acting on "widespread" contamination.
19/8/06 Marks and Spencer publicise their non-GM food policy and avoidance of GM animal feed.
23/8/06 BASF Plant Science applies for permission to conduct two field trials of GM potatoes, in Derbyshire and Cambridge. DEFRA invites comments on these before 19 October. Soil Association briefing available. (See 25/5/06)
5/9/06 + Food products in UK and Europe found to be illegally contaminated with unapproved GM rice from China.
6/9/06 + Survey by Friends of the Earth reveals most meat and dairy products sold in supermarkets come from animals fed on GM feed. Opinion poll shows 87 per cent of the public want foods from animals fed on GM feed to be labelled. (See 19/8/06)
11/9/06 Rice from the US contaminated with an unauthorised GM variety LLRICE601 (see 18/8/06) has been detected in imports and barred from entry into the EU.
11/9/06 + US Department of Agriculture initiates fast-track market approval of the illegal GM rice LLRICE601 that contaminated long-grain rice exports worldwide.
17/9/06 UK Press reveals that the Food Standards Agency has advised supermarkets that they can flout the law and continue to sell existing stocks of contaminated GM rice from the US. Sunday Herald and Independent give details of the private deal.
21/9/06 + GM Free Cymru points out that the 15 September statement by the European Food Safety Authority on the safety of GM contaminated rice was "scientifically irresponsible", being based only on selective data from Bayer CropScience, with key scientific documentation blanked out.
29/9/06 + Ebro Puleva, the world's largest rice processing company, stops all imports of rice from the US to the EU due to the threat of contamination by unauthorised GM rice.
29/9/06 + North Dorset District Council passes motion that opposes DEFRA's coexistence proposals [119K] (see 20/7/06) and "calls upon the Government to adopt much more stringent measures to protect the non-GM interests of the whole community." Similar motion was recently passed by South Hams District Council. (GM Free Dorset Campaign 01258 817262)
11/10/06 Two permit applications have been lodged with the Registrar of GM Organisms that could result in GM ingredients in South African wine - one application is for GM grapevine field trials at Stellenbosch University, the other is for GM yeast.
17/10/06 + Following extensive reports of rice contamination in Europe and the UK (see above), Friends of the Earth sets up a website to document all the incidents.
19/10/06 + Tests in France find another type of unapproved rice contaminating US imports, LL62, also developed by Bayer Cropscience (as was LL601).
19/10/06 + A new legal opinion [791K] is published on the Government's 'coexistence' proposals for England (see 20/7/06), stating that the proposals are legally and fundamentally flawed.
27/10/06 Friends of the Earth files a legal challenge against the Food Standards Agency over its failure to act to prevent UK consumers being exposed to illegal GM rice in their food. (see 17/10/06)
29/10/06 + GM Freeze is to write to the Scottish Executive this week about the forthcoming Scottish consultation on 'coexistence', warning ministers not to make the same mistakes as DEFRA in the light of the legal flaws uncovered in the English proposals. (see 19/10/06)
15/11/06 Early Day Motion 48 calls for 0.1 percent GM labelling threshold and ban on commercial growing until safety and coexistence concerns are met.
16/11/06 + The Scottish Executive (Government) quietly announces that the Scottish consultation on GM 'coexistence' (first scheduled for Spring 2006) will take place in Summer 2007 - after the Scottish Parliamentary elections. (See earlier news.) The Scottish Green Party comments.
1/12/06 DEFRA opens public consultation (England, Wales and N Ireland) on the implementation of the Environmental Liability Directive. This will determine whether biotech companies have to pay for environmental damge caused by GMOs. GeneWatch says the Government's proposals are the weakest possible and will fail to protect important sites and species. Closing date for submissions 22 February 2007.
1/12/06 DEFRA gives BASF permission to carry out field trials of GM potatoes in Cambridgeshire and Derbyshire. (see 23/8/06) These were earlier proposed for Ireland. The decision was criticised by makers of chips, and food scientist Arpad Pusztai expressed concern.
21/12/06 Scottish Executive opens public consultation on the implementation in Scotland of the Environmental Liability Directive. (c.f. England, see 1/12/06) This covers laws that will govern whether biotech companies have to pay for environmental harm caused by GMOs. GeneWatch has provided a guide to taking part, and says the Government's proposals are the weakest possible and will fail to protect important sites and species. Closed 23 March 2007.
28/12/06 US Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) rules that milk and meat from cloned animals are safe to eat and need not be labelled. (see 21/3/07)
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