Californians considering ban (update 1) Lake County, Calif. is once again considering an ordinance banning GM crops. The ordinance says federal and state governments do not have regulatory systems "sufficient to ensure public health, environmental safety and freedom from genetic contamination in agriculture", and proposes a six-month jail term for using GM seeds. More†

Europe faces self-made crisis The European Crop Protection Association (ECPA) is forecasting disaster for farmers and consumers alike if EU pest management restrictions come into effect. New legislation set to replace Directive 91/414/EEC will remove so many critical pest management tools that prices for cereals and vegetables could rise by 73% and 104% respectively, as farm productivity plummets. More†

India passes responsibility on labeling Last year in March, an ad hoc committee set up by India's health ministry passed a unanimous recommendation that foods with GM ingredients be labeled, with no minimum threshold level. That recommendation has now been passed to the newly-constituted Food Safety and Standards Authority (FSSA) for action. More†

Labeling backfires in EU Anti-biotech elements in the European Union, under the guise of representing consumer interests, succeeded in imposing labeling requirements on food containing GM ingredients. Ever since, many have wondered about the true attitudes of European consumers. That's because food manufacturers and retailers feared consumers would shun GM-labeled food, and thus kept most of these foods off the market. This victory for anti-biotech elements has turned against them, as labeling the few GM foods available has helped prove that most EU consumers are unconcerned about GM. More†

Business

Economy slows, Dow Agro grows Many companies are cutting jobs or holding tight during an economic slowdown and financial uncertainty in markets around the world. Dow AgroSciences, on the other hand, is hiring new personnel aggressively. Its growth is being fueled by demand from farmers who want to increase yields with high-tech chemicals and biotech seeds. More†

Legal

Hawaii bans GM coffee, taro The Hawaii County Council has unanimously passed a bill making it illegal to "test, propagate, cultivate, raise, plant, grow, introduce or release" GM versions of taro (a.k.a. kalo) and coffee. The bill explicitly states that one of its purposes is to protect and preserve "cultural traditions associated with taro". Taro traditions include the notion that taro is masculine in nature, and that women are too impure to touch it. More†

Sci/Tech

Herbicide-tolerant grapes developed Herbicide-tolerant cotton, maize and soy were developed to improve weed control, but grapes have different needs. The slightest whiff of a popular broadleaf herbicide kills them dead. The answer? Make the grapes herbicide-tolerant, so they can coexist. More†

Sources for rust resistance genes The virulent Ug99 stem rust pathogen threatens global wheat supplies, and University of Adelaide researchers have identified new sources of rust resistance in wheat's wild grass relatives. The resistance genes were identified in the species Triticum speltoides, Triticum searsii and Triticum tripsacoides. More†

Development

Biotech protects US maize crop This year, much of the US Great Plains suffered from above-normal wet weather that either caused planting delays or flooded fields, forcing farmers to replant. This would normally herald a dismal maize harvest, but in the state of Nebraska, yield is forecast at 161 bushels per acre -- the second highest of record, and only five bushels below the previous high set in 2004. GM seed is the reason why. More†