UK: ABILITY TO PREVENT GM CONTAMINATION DOUBTED

Article Abstract:

Advanta's European affairs director Dr Buckeridge, has expressed doubts about attempts to prevent genetically modified (GM) crops from contaminating the environment. The news follows the announcement in May that 5,400 hectares of supposedly free GM-free oil seed rape supplied by Advanta, the seed company, had been contaminated by GM crop pollen. All of the seeds have been subsequently destroyed. Dr Buckeridge expressed doubts about the tests used to verify whether seeds are GM free. Giving evidence to MPs, Advanta executives admitted that the seeds had been contaminated despite using a 4km buffer zone compared to the British Government's current 50-200mn buffer zones. The zones are under review, but Michael Meacher, an Environment minister said it still had to be proven that pollen from 4km away had been the cause of the contamination.

United Kingdom, Research & development outlays, Drugs

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US: SPACE COLONISATION BOOSTED BY GM PLANTS

Article Abstract:

According to US physicist Freeman Dyson, developments in plant biotechnology will make it possible to colonise the planet Mars. Dyson believes that within 50 years plant biotechnology would have advanced to a level that would enable the development of plants and forests to produce their own green house environments, thus enabling them to survive and colonise on Mars and outside the earth. Dyson sees the process as similar to the way animals grow their own fur and that biotechnology will provide plants with this capability.

Product information

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Spread of GM crops trebles in one year

Article Abstract:

There were 28 million hectares planned with genetically modified crops in 1998, a 15-fold increase compared with 1996, according to a report from Worldwatch Institute on environmental trends. The US, Canada and Argentina account for most of the growth in these crops. Most GM crops have been designed to resist powerful weedkillers like Roundup from Monsanto. This has led to concern that wildlife could be destroyed alomg with weeds, and has led to calls for a moratorium on GM crop growing in Britain.

Plant Genetics, Nursery and Floriculture Production, Seeds, Reports, Environmental aspects, Genetic engineering, Environmental sciences, Seed industry, Worldwatch Institute

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