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World Food Day Marked by Brazilian Legislation to Introduce Terminator Seeds and Prizes for Monsanto and Syngenta

Submitted by Joëlle Deschambault on

As the United Nations celebrates World Food Day October 16, in Brazil, a Constitutional Commission is slated to rule on pending legislation that would permit the use of Terminator technology (a.k.a. suicide seeds), upending the country’s 8 year-old ban and violating the international moratorium on the quintessential anti-farmer technology. Meanwhile, on October 17, in Iowa (USA), scientists from Syngenta and Monsanto, two companies that both have Terminator patents, will receive the World Food Prize for their “breakthrough” achievements in developing genetically modified crops.

Urgent Alert. No to Terminator - Sign this letter

Submitted by Veronica Villa on

This week, as we celebrate World Food Day 2013 – whose theme is "sustainable food systems for food security and nutrition” – a serious threat to food sovereignty and food and nutrition security in Brazil has come to light. A bill, ( PL ) No. 268/2007 filed by Rep. Eduardo Sciarra - PSD / PR, allows exemptions to the ban on Genetic Use Restriction Technologies (GURTs, commonly referred to as Terminator) imposed by Brazil’s Biosecurity Law and the UN Convention on Biological Diversity. If passed, this bill will allow the production and marketing of GM “suicide” seeds – seeds genetically engineered to be sterile in the second generation – forcing farmers to buy new seeds for every planting cycle.

Update on Proposed Terminator Legislation in Brazil

Submitted by Kathy Jo Wetter on

Update on Proposed Terminator Legislation in Brazil
English

Yesterday, ETC Group reported on the scheduled meeting of Brazil's Judicial Commission to rule on the constitutionality of a bill that would allow the planting of Terminator plants (i.e., plants engineered to be sterile in the second generation) in Brazil. While the Judicial Commission did meet, it postponed the discussion on the Terminator bill until next week.

Brazil Set to Unleash Terminator Threat

Submitted by Veronica Villa on

Fast-tracked Legislation to Allow Sterile Seeds Would Harm Farmers, Food Security

Today Brazil’s Judicial Commission is slated to rule on the constitutionality of a proposed bill that will allow genetically engineered sterility in seeds, known as Terminator Technology. If the bill gains the approval of the Commission, it could quickly come to a vote in Congress. Brazil’s national law to ban Terminator has been under threat since it was enacted 8 years ago, but this most recent congressional action has caused the most serious alarm since it could swiftly overturn the ban.

News Release: Concern as IPCC Bangs the Drum for Geoengineering

Submitted by ETC Group on

IPCC Shoots a Silver Bullet (Point) for Climate Change, Includes Geoengineering in its Latest Report

As the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change published the first installment of its latest climate change Assessment Report, AR5, the final paragraph of its Summary for Policymakers – a bullet point referring to proposals for deliberately altering climate systems – has caused consternation by addressing the controversial topic of geoengineering. (1)While the paragraph does not endorse geoengineering, as had been proposed by Russia, its very presence is ringing alarm bells.

Yet another UN report calls for support to peasant farming and agroecology

Submitted by Veronica Villa on

It's time for action

La Via Campesina, GRAIN and ETC welcome a new UNCTAD report which states that farming in rich and poor nations alike should shift from monoculture towards greater varieties of crops, reduced use of fertilizers and other inputs, greater support for small-scale farmers, and more locally focused production and consumption of food.

New Report: Putting the Cartel before the Horse…and Farm, Seeds, Soil, Peasants

Submitted by Joëlle Deschambault on

Who Will Control Agricultural Inputs?

News Release
September 9th, 2013

ETC Group publishes its 111th Communiqué today. The 40-page report – “Putting the Cartel before the Horse…Who Will Control Agricultural Inputs?” – provides market data on the world’s major corporate players involved in food and agriculture and analysis of key sectors in the corporate food chain.

Let's Stop the Glowing Plant Release Project! - Only 10 days left to contribute to ETC Group's campaign

Submitted by ETC Staff on

ETC Group needs your support to stop US biohackers and private biotech firm, Genome Compiler Corporation, from carrying out the first ever, intentional release of organisms created through synthetic biology.

Only 10 days left to make a contribution to ETC Group's fundraising campaign to stop the release of synbiotech seeds ! Huge thanks to those who have already contributed.

Why Synthetic Artemisinin Is Still a Bad Idea - A Response to Rob Carlson

Submitted by Jim Thomas on

Why Synthetic Artemisinin Is Still a Bad Idea - A Response to Rob Carlson
English

Background: At a recent Synthetic Biology Conference in Cambridge UK, Synthetic Biologist Jay Keasling announced that the consortium he was working with now intend to replace the entire global supply of artemisinin (an anti-malarial compound) with their new synthetic-biology derived version.

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