Genetically Engineered

The Convention On Biodiversity COP In Cali, Colombia

October 26, 2024 Global Justice Ecology Project. Resist! Amazon Rainforest, Biodiversity, Brazil, Colombia, COP16, Genetically Engineered, Indigenous Peoples, Protests

More than 100 organizations from over 30 countries demand that Brazil cancel its NINE genetically engineered eucalyptus and stop threatening global forest biodiversity. Organizations and Indigenous Peoples from around the world call upon the world leaders at COP16 to demand a strict application of the CBD’s 2008 de facto moratorium on genetically engineered trees and that Brazil immediately cancel its legalization of 9 varieties of genetically engineered eucalyptus trees for commercial release. Brazil’s legalization is a dangerous precedent that threatens to open the door to the widespread commercialization and large-scale release of GE trees across Latin America and around the world.

Pushback Continues Against Genetically Modified Salmon

October 16, 2023 Casey Smith, Indiana Capital Chronicle. Resist! Food and Agriculture, Genetically Engineered, Indiana, Salmon

As demand for seafood grows, including across the Hoosier state, a remote Indiana farm is harvesting thousands of pounds of salmon every year — on land. But the genetically modified fish teeming in the Albany tanks are continuing to draw pushback from environmental advocates who say the “Frankenfish” threaten local ecosystems and are not a sustainable food source. Engineered by biotech company AquaBounty Technologies Inc., the “AquAdvantage” salmon is the first such altered animal to be cleared for human consumption in the United States. The boycott against the salmon has largely come from activists with the Block Corporate Salmon campaign.

USDA May Allow Genetically Modified Trees To Be Released Into The Wild

April 23, 2021 Anne Peterman, Truthout. Educate! Chestnut, Energy, GE Trees, Genetically Engineered, Trees

On August 18, 2020, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) published a petition by researchers at the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry (ESF) seeking federal approval to release their genetically engineered (GE) Darling 58 (D58) American chestnut tree into U.S. forests. Researchers claim the transgenic D58 tree will resist the fungal blight that, coupled with rampant overlogging, decimated the American chestnut population in the early 20th century. In fact, the GE American chestnut is a Trojan horse meant to open the doors to commercial GE trees designed for industrial plantations. The D58 would be the first GE forest tree approved in the U.S. and the first GMO intended to spread in the wild. (GE canola plants were discovered in the wild in 2010 but that was unplanned.)

Claims Of Successful Genetically Engineered Tree Sterility Overblown

August 10, 2018 By Anne Petermann, Globaljusticeecology.org Educate! Environment, Genetically Engineered, Trees

U.S.–In an apparent effort to allay serious public and scientific concerns about contamination threats from genetically engineered (GE) trees, on August 3rd researchers at Oregon State University claimed they had genetically engineered sterility into poplar trees.[1] The real story of the study, however, is that the risks of genetically engineering trees are too great and can never fully be known. During the seven year field trial of GE poplars described in the study, small environmental variations resulted in significant differences between trees that had the same GE constructs and also found differences between GE trees over time. This all points to how trees cannot be reliably engineered to prevent contamination.

People Say ‘No’ To First-Ever GE Forest Proposed For US

July 11, 2017 Staff, www.globaljusticeecology.org Resist! Genetically Engineered, Trees, USDA

By Staff of GJEP - Washington, DC — Well over a quarter of a million people and 500 organizations submitted comments yesterday rejecting the commercialization of ArborGen Inc.’s genetically engineered (GE) eucalyptus trees, which, if approved, would be the first-ever GE forest tree approved in the U.S. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) proposed approval in April 2017, releasing a draft Environmental Impact Statement (dEIS) for public comment. This comment period ended on 5 July. The GE eucalyptus trees are engineered to tolerate freezing temperatures in order to greatly expand their growing range. The approval of these GE trees could set a precedent for future approval of GE forest trees such as poplar and pine. In the dEIS, USDA downplayed or ignored the significant risks posed by these novel GE trees. The agency conservatively predicts commercial GE eucalyptus plantations would cover over one million acres across seven southern states—from coastal South Carolina to eastern Texas. This would have devastating consequences across this region, which is home to a number of the poorest counties in the country, as well as some of the most biodiverse ecosystems in the world. The region is already precariously threatened by climate change and sprawl.

Lawsuit Challenges FDA’s Approval Of Genetically Engineered Salmon

April 2, 2016 Staff, www.corporatecrimereporter.com Resist! FDA, Food and Agriculture, Genetically Engineered, GMOs

By Staff of Corporate Crime Reporter - A coalition of environmental, consumer, and commercial and recreational fishing organizations has sued the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for approving the first-ever genetically engineered (GE) food animal, an Atlantic salmon engineered to grow quickly. The man-made salmon was created by AquaBounty Technologies, Inc. with DNA from three fish: Atlantic salmon, Pacific king salmon, and Arctic ocean eelpout.

Genetically Engineered Trees Harm Planet & How We Can Stop Them

March 7, 2016 Alexa Erickson, www.collective-evolution.com Educate! Environment, Genetically Engineered

By Alexa Erickson for Collective Evolution - Genetic engineering involves high-tech methods to integrate genes straight into an organism. It’s a term that has caused an overwhelming amount of controversy and concern in the food industry because of their effect on our health and the environment. And while the battle to get back to the basics and live from the earth once again is ongoing, there seems to be a new threat to this ideology. The biotech industry is trying to bulldoze down 184 million acres of native forests around the world and replace them with plantations of genetically engineered trees...

National Consensus Emerges On GMO Foods

June 25, 2014 Consumers Union, www.consumersunion.org Organize! Food and Agriculture, Genetically Engineered, Regulation

According to a new national poll by Consumer Reports released today, an overwhelming majority of U.S. consumers think that before genetically engineered (GE) food is sold, it should be labeled accordingly (92% of consumers) and meet long-term safety standards set by the government (92%). The U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) currently does not require labeling or pre-market safety assessments of GE food. Similarly, 92% of Americans specifically agreed that the government should require that GE salmon be labeled before it is sold. The FDA is considering whether to approve a GE salmon, which is designed to grow to maturity twice as fast as normal salmon, and has said that it does not intend to require labeling. In addition, nearly three-quarters (72%) of consumers polled said that it’s crucial for them to avoid GE ingredients when purchasing food. The poll data can be found online here [PDF]. “This poll underscores that, across the country, consumers want labeling of GE food, including GE salmon, and consider safety standards set by the government of such food imperative,” said Jean Halloran, Director of Food Policy Initiatives at Consumers Union, the policy arm of Consumer Reports.

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