August headlines

Return to August article index

Mutant mice get no kick from cocaine

August 27
Agence France Presse

Paris -- Mice genetically engineered to lack a chemical receptor in the brain are immune to cocaine craving, a finding that opens up a valuable path for combating drug addiction, European scientists report.

The mice were modified so that they did not have a neurotransmitter receptor, called mGluR5, in cells located in a part of the brain called the nucleus accumbens, where cocaine is believed to unleash its exhilarating effect.

Neurotransmitters are signaling molecules sent from one nerve cell to another. The signal is only received and passed on to other cells if the target cell has docking molecules, called receptors, which act as a gateway to let the signal through.

Normal mice and mice without mGluR5 were trained to press a lever to get a tasty food reward, the team, led by Francois Conquet at GlaxoSmithKline in Lausanne, Switzerland, report.

When the food was replaced with a jolt of intravenous cocaine, the normal mice quickly became hooked and pressed the lever again and again to get a dose of the drug.

The mutant rodents also started with a shot, thinking they would get food. But they showed no sign of craving to get more of the cocaine and after a few sessions eventually gave up pressing the lever in disappointment when they realized that no food was showing up.

"Our results indicate that mGluR5 is essential for cocaine-induced hyperactivity," the researchers say in Nature Neuroscience, a specialist monthly journal of the Nature group.

This conclusion was strengthened when normal mice were given a drug that briefly interfered with mGluR5 function, which caused them to self-administer less cocaine.

Identifying a neurotransmitter receptor is the first step towards drugs that can block the molecular gateway, thus easing or preventing addiction.

The most-frequently identified drug culprit is a molecule called dopamine, but Conquet's group cautions that the addiction picture is complex.

"Several neurotransmitters and peptides contribute to cocaine dependence," and the role of subtypes of dopamine receptors remains unclear, they say.

Thailand: Green groups see GMOs as no longer popular 

Urge state to discuss plans with all parties

August 27
Bangkok Post

The popularity of genetically modified organisms is fading, green groups told a public forum debating the pros and cons of GMOs at the weekend.

The group also demanded state agencies consult more with farmers and consumer groups before drawing up any policy on GMOs.

Vitoon Lianchamroon, of Biothai, a non-governmental organization working on biotechnology issues, said GMO plantation areas in the United States increased five times from 1996 to 1997.

However, the area extended only 2.5 times in 1998 and no increase at all during 1999 to 2000.

``Numerous farmers in Canada turned their backs on GM seeds, so the country's GMO cultivation areas have gradually decreased. A similar situation is also taking place in China,'' Mr Vitoon said.

Argentina was the only country which still embraced GM plantations, Mr Vitoon told the forum, organized by National Science and Technology Development Agency (Biotec) and Thailand Biodiversity Center at Impact Muang Thong Thani.

``Moreover, famous magazines such as The Economist and Time recently reported that more than 50% of US consumers reject GM products and 93% demand GM contaminated food be labeled,'' said Mr Vitoon.

He also expressed concern about a leak of Bt cotton, which is one of the products that derives from biotechnology, into large-scale farmlands in Thailand.

``Numerous farmers are planting Bt cotton at the moment, despite no proof that this kind of cotton is safe for native species and the ecology,'' said Mr Vitoon.

However, Nipon Iamsupasit, of Thailand Biodiversity Center under the Ministry of Science, Technology and Environment, argued that a decline in GM plantation areas did not mean the technology was imperfect or dangerous.

``There are several factors that make farmers refuse GM seeds,'' Mr Nipon said.

He also said widespread Bt cotton planting among Thai farmers shows that the farmers prefer Bt cotton than native species.

A farmer from Suphan Buri disagreed with Mr Nipon.

``Most of the farmers have no information about Bt cotton, but we decided to plant it because government officials seriously supported it. We are surrounded by the officials' propaganda,'' he said.

Meanwhile, Nares Dhamrongchai of Biotec claimed that the forum was participated by stakeholders, including consumer groups, farmers, environmentalists, government officials, scientists and media.

The forum participants came up with an idea to build up a working committee, which comprises of all stakeholders, Mr Nares said.

However, Boonyang Jailoy, a farmer from the Central Plains, blamed the organizers for always claiming that farmers have taken part in the policy-making process on GMOs.

``Very few of us have an opportunity to participate and present our demands in such forums, while most of our friends who are working out there in the fields still know nothing about the issue,'' she said.

US to Europe: Scrap biotech rules

August 26
UPI

Senior Bush administration officials are pressuring the European Union to ditch limitations on genetically modified foods, The Washington Post reported Sunday. 

The restrictions could cost U.S. companies some $4 billion a year and prevent a new round of trade talks, according to The Post. 

U.S. officials repeatedly told their European counterparts the regulations discriminate against U.S. products and violate World Trade Organization requirements, "raising the prospect of a major and emotionally charged trade dispute," reported The Post. 

Undersecretary of State Alan Larson, the State Department's senior diplomat assigned to economic issues, said the restrictions were "trade disruptive and discriminatory." 

"It's obviously a very serious problem that affects a very important trade and one that's of vital interest to a very important constituency in the United States, which supports free trade," said Larson, according to The Post. 

While U.S. officials have not commented publicly on how they plan to react to the restrictions, they do maintain the EU limits on modified foods are inconsistent with the terms of the WTO "because they treat U.S. products less favorably than European ones." 

Officials have left open the possibility of bringing a legal case before the WTO, though Larson said the immediate focus is on lobbying European governments to amend the regulations before they go into effect. 

The European Commission's new standards calls for all products made of engineered material to have a label saying they contain "genetically modified organisms."

GM monitoring, but no labels: Study

August 24
CBC

OTTAWA -- A chief safety officer should be appointed to oversee the safety of genetically modified foods in Canada, according to a new federal study.

But the interim report released Thursday says mandatory labeling should be adopted only if voluntary standards don't work.

Long-term monitoring of health effects is essential, according to the study, which is called "Improving the Regulation of Genetically Modified Foods and other Novel Foods in Canada."

It says the role of a GM safety officer would be to separate two sometimes conflicting roles of the federal government: the promotion and regulation of Canada's biotech industry.

The study was prepared by the Canadian Biotechnology Advisory Committee, whose members are federally appointed.

It recommends a centralized information system to help consumers know what GM content is in the foods they eat.

One of the key issues is how much genetically modified material can be in food that is labeled "GM-free."

Standards in Canada are much more lax than in Europe. A recent study in Canada proposed that food could be labeled GM-free if it contained up to five per cent genetically modified material.

In February, the Royal Society of Canada – considered the country's top science academy – made 50 recommendations to tighten regulations pertaining to GM foods. The Royal Society suggested consumers aren't adequately protected from risks of genetically modified foods.

The issue of permissible GM content in food concerns many Canadian farmers who grow crops aimed at European markets. Guidelines that allow up to five per cent GM content in Canada are five times more generous than European regulations.

Canada is the third-largest producer of genetically modified foods in the world. Over the past few years, the federal government has approved about 40 crops that can be genetically modified, including corn, potatoes, tomatoes, squash and oilseed.

Committee recommends voluntary biotech food labeling

August 23
Canadian Press

OTTAWA -- A federal advisory committee recommends voluntary labeling for genetically modified food, with consideration of a mandatory system if a voluntary one doesn't work.

The Canadian Biotechnology Advisory Committee said Thursday the federal government should make a "significant effort" to monitor the long-term health effects of GM foods.

The committee of experts, which the federal government set up last summer, calls on Ottawa to appoint a chief safety officer for GM foods, and a high-level committee to oversee GM food regulation.

It recommends a clear separation between the federal roles in promoting biotechnology and regulating it.

The committee's public consultations were boycotted by many non-government groups that alleged committee members were biased in favor of biotechnology from the outset.

Nadege Adam of the Council of Canadians, one group that boycotted consultations, said she was surprised the committee even raised the possibility of mandatory labeling.

She was disappointed that its initial emphasis is on voluntary efforts, which the council considers doomed to fail.

Genetic engineering report: Weak, meek and reeking of biotech bias

August 23
Greenpeace Canada press release

Montreal -- Greenpeace Canada today reacted to the release of the Canadian Biotech Advisory Committee`s (CBAC) interim report, calling it ``weak, meek and reeking of biotech bias.`` The committee, established by the federal government, is dominated by the biotech industry and its allies. The committee`s process was so skewed, Greenpeace and more than 80 other environmental, health and consumer groups boycotted it.

``This report is weak on science, meek on regulation and reeks of another government sales job on behalf of the biotech industry,`` said Dr. Eric Darier of Greenpeace`s genetic engineering campaign. ``There`s absolutely nothing here to prevent the environmental release of this unproven genetic experiment - and nothing that lets Canadians know what they`re eating.``

``Our worst fears have been confirmed,`` he said. ``The whitewash continues.``

Darier noted that the 53 genetic engineering recommendations made last February by an independent scientific panel of the Royal Society of Canada - the country`s preeminent scientific body - have yet to be acted on by Ottawa.

``Scientists recommended 53 ways to safeguard Canadians from genetic engineering`` said Darier. ``Greenpeace calls on the federal government to wake up and listen to scientists. The rest of the world doesn`t want GE food and won`t buy it, yet Canada still listens to an industry that has been discredited around the world.``

Darier said the CBAC report makes vague recommendations about ``improving the regulation of GM foods`` and about ``the monitoring of long-term health and environmental impacts of GM foods`` but fails to recommend an immediate moratorium on GM plants and foods UNTIL these improvements are put in place. ``Is the government waiting for a genetic Chenobyl to happen before acting in a responsible manner?`` asked Darier.

``More than 90 per cent of Canadians want mandatory labeling of GE food, but the industry is petrified of mandatory labeling because it knows people don`t want GE food,`` he said. ``It`s no surprise CBAC doesn`t support mandatory labeling. But CBAC doesn`t vote on Bill C-287 this fall - MPs do. And MPs know that Canadians want mandatory labeling of GE food now.``

French GM crop foes destroy maize at Monsanto site

August 22
Reuters

BEAUCAIRE, France -- Around 150 activists destroyed genetically modified (GM) maize plants on Wednesday at a test site run by Monsanto Co (MON) in France, drawing condemnation from the U.S. biotechnology giant.

The activists, including members of the left-wing Confederation Paysanne farm union, tore up bio-engineered maize being grown on around 800 square meters in the southern French town of Beaucaire, government authorities in Nimes said.

Monsanto France denounced the destruction of its experimental crop, noting that the French farm ministry had approved the test.

"This unspeakable act of criminality undermines the freedom of research that is conducted, paradoxically, with the specific goal of answering legitimate questions posed by scientists and civil society about GM organisms," Monsanto said in a statement.

The company also urged authorities to increase security around GM crop tests and to take steps to uphold the law. 

The French minister in charge of research, Roger-Gerard Schwartzenberg, issued a more subdued criticism of GM crop destruction, saying it was not a "progressive" approach.

"We do not want violence but rather a civil debate on GM organisms. In a democracy, one can make oneself heard... without relying on force," Schwartzenberg said in a statement. 

It was at least the fourth incident of GM crop destruction in France since late June, when the farm ministry was forced to publish the list of districts where genetically engineered plants were being tested.

Jose Bove, the fiery founder of the Confederation Paysanne, demanded a complete ban on GM crops in France earlier this month and threatened to begin uprooting test fields across the country if the government did not outlaw the controversial crops.

Monsanto condemned Bove's threat as a "veritable incitement to unlawfulness and violence".

In March, a French court gave Bove a 10-month suspended jail sentence and two years' probation for destroying GM rice plants at a research institute in June 1999.

Two months earlier, Bove and other anti-globalization activists helped uproot some three hectares of GM soybeans at an experimental farm in Brazil operated by Monsanto.

US soy industry leaders, China to hold GMO talks

August 21
Reuters

Leaders of the U.S. soybean industry will hold talks with government officials in China this week to clear the air over Beijing's new rules for gene-altered food, an industry official said Tuesday.

The rules, announced on June 6, have been short on implementation details, and have led to a slowdown in exports of U.S. soybeans to China, the top importer. 

American Soybean Association president Bart Ruth and United Soybean Board chairman Doug Magnus will meet in Shanghai and Beijing with Chinese officials, said Gil Griffis, ASA division director for Asia.

``There is going to be a small meeting in Shanghai and a larger meeting in Beijing,'' Griffis told Reuters. ``We are going to express interest in when they (rules) would be implemented and the specifics of the implementation procedure.''

``We will also express our support for the early implementation of the rules in a way (that) would not impede the export of our soybeans to China,'' he said. 

The guidelines require safety certificates stating genetically modified products are not harmful to humans, animals or the environment. Imported GMO foods will also require special labeling. 

In July, the European Union unveiled tough rules on food derived from GMOs, requiring labeling and records tracing the origin of the crop to the farm.

Consumer and environmental groups in Asia and Europe are against foods from genetically altered crops because they feel more research is needed to ensure they are safe. 

Nearly a year ago, an unapproved gene-altered corn variety entered  the U.S. food chain, sparking recalls of food items such as taco shells from grocery shelves, and causing a slowdown in U.S. corn exports to Japan, its top buyer. 

Soybean futures at the Chicago Board of Trade tumbled last Thursday after Belgian scientists discovered unidentified fragments of DNA in gene-altered Roundup Ready soybeans grown from seed developed by biotechnology giant Monsanto Co.

One of the scientists said, however, there was no evidence to suggest the alien fragments could lead to any unknown effects, such as possible allergic reactions in people. Almost 70 percent of the soybeans planted in the United States are genetically modified, according to estimates by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

China has purchased 5.8 million million tons of U.S. soybeans so far in the 2000/01 marketing year ending Aug. 31, up from 5.1 million tons in the same period last year. 

The USDA estimated China will import from all sources 14.5 million tons of soybeans in 2001/02 (September/August), up from 13.2 million tons in 2000/01.

Exporters said Chinese demand for U.S. soybeans has been sluggish since the announcement of the GMO rules because of uncertainty over how rigidly those guidelines will be implemented.

Griffis said U.S. exporters had expressed concern over the rules, adding the industry hoped the USDA and U.S. Trade Representative would ensure a speedy resolution.

``Our exporters could have lost sales, at least temporarily. There has been a slowdown in shipments, that is my assumption,'' he said, adding that exporters were not willing to predate their contracts to before June 6 to skirt the issue.

``Our exporters will not sign a document saying that the contract predated June 6. You can predate a contract and get around that, but we are not going to do that,'' he said.

Legal bid to stop spread of GM trials

August 21
The Scotsman 

OPPONENTS of genetically modified crops are ready to take on the Scottish executive by mounting legal action to prevent further trials, The Scotsman has learned.

The unprecedented move is aimed at halting tests of a pesticide on GM oil seed rape.

Protesters are set to seek a judicial review of the way ministers have handled the trials at Roskill Farm, on the Black Isle, near Inverness.

They claim the executive did not comply with a European directive on the issue by failing to assess adequately the impact of the trials and not taking local opinion into account.

Highlands and Islands GM Concern (HIGMC), which staged Scotland’s largest anti-GM protest in Inverness on Saturday, is taking specialist advice from a QC on a range of legal options.

It claims the pesticide, glufosinate ammonium, also known as Liberty, could get into a burn near the test site. The burn flows into a special protection area for wintering birds and the group fears the pesticide would infect shellfish and mayflies on which geese and waders feed.

The chemical has been given a special license for winter use on GM crops which have been modified to be resistant to it. However, the HIGMC claims the Pesticide Safety Directorate, which issued the license, has said only suitable, low-risk sites should be used.

Jo Hunt, a director of the HIGMC, said it was concerned the trial had been inappropriately assessed for potential risks on the basis of climatic conditions in England.

He said: "Northern Scottish sites are totally different and will have higher rainfall, lower temperatures and greater run-off - a greater pollution hazard.

"There has been no site-specific risk assessment of either the suitability of the field or the potential impacts of the run-off on Munlochy Bay. This breaches European law on both releasing genetically-modified organisms and for protecting international wildlife sites."

Mr Hunt said 70 per cent of people living near the site were opposed to GM trials, along with 60 per cent of the Highland population.

In one of four demonstrations across Britain, some 400 people marched through Inverness on Saturday to protest against further trials. Robin Harper, the Green MSP, who was among speakers at a rally, said: "It is so important that we do not give up on this, even at the small level GM crops have reached in Scotland. I am very concerned at comments from the companies involved that they want to flood the market so GM strains are irreversible."

Derek Bearhop, of the Scottish executive’s GM co-ordination team, said there was no anticipated significant risk to nearby burns.

Ross Finnie, the rural development minister, is expected to announce a new round of GM trials, including Roskill Farm, this week.

A spokeswoman for the Scottish executive said: "All legal avenues have been explored and we do not believe we have breached any European regulation. It would be illegal under European law to stop trials unless there is scientific evidence to support such action."

Proposed genetic engineering report desperate and meaningless

August 20
Greenpeace Canada press release

Montreal -- Greenpeace Canada today denounced draft standards for voluntary labeling of genetically engineered (GE) food as desperate and meaningless. The standards were proposed in a federal government report to be released shortly. 

Greenpeace said voluntary labeling of GE food is another in a series of attempts to impose GE food on Canadians without their knowledge or consent. The committee is part of the Canadian General Standards Board, under the department of Public Works. 

"Canadians have the right to know what they're eating. Yet once again, the federal government is siding with the food biotech industry, allowing corporations to dictate the terms through which consumers can know what's in their food," said Dr. Eric Darier, Greenpeace's genetic engineering campaigner. 

"The draft is so weak it's meaningless," said Darier. "It will allow 5 per cent GE contamination, while Europe only allows 1 per cent. How can something be GE-free if 5 per cent of it is genetically engineered? In fact, this high tolerance for contamination only proves the biotech industry can't control where its own experiment ends up." 

Darier also said the report shows the desperation of the food biotech industry and Liberals in the face of massive support of mandatory labeling. Polls have consistently showed more than 90 per cent of Canadians want labels on all GE food. 

"The biotech industry knows Parliament will vote on mandatory labeling this fall with Bill C-287," said Darier. "How curious that after two years of delaying tactics, a stacked committee comes out with a weak labeling recommendation just before C-287 will be voted on. They're desperate to look like they're responding to Canadians, without actually acting on Canadians' desire to know what we're eating." 

Darier pointed out 35 countries - including the EU, Australia, Japan, China and Israel - have or are implementing mandatory labeling. He also said the recent example of Loblaws blacking out labels on GE-free food shows that voluntary labeling won't work. 

"Canada's had voluntary GE labeling  since genetic engineering began. If it worked, then Canadians wouldn't still be asking for labels," said Darier. "This proposal is as big a sham as the committee that produced it. Greenpeace opposes it because we can get the real thing after Parliament votes for Bill C-287."