Archived News

April 2006

Govt Commits $850,000 to GM Studies
28 April 2006 The Age
The federal government has announced funding for eight major studies to determine the future role of genetically modified (GM) crops in Australia.

Gene Laws Survive Review
28 April 2006 ABC (AU)
The review also calls for states to end their moratoria on genetically modified (GM) crops...And it agrees with GM researchers and industry that GM and non-GM crops can co-exist.

More Than 90% of Corn Growers Adhering to IRM Requirements
28 April 2006 Agriculture Online
According to the 2005 telephone survey, 92% of U.S. Bt corn growers met or exceeded the minimum recommended refuge size, up from 91% in 2004 and 86% in 2003. On-farm visits found more than 94% of producers met refuge requirements.

U of S 'Super Gene' Discovery Holds Promise of Hardier Crops
28 April 2006 Argus der Presse via Checkbiotech.org
A University of Saskatchewan research team has discovered what it calls a "super gene" that makes crops more resistant to heat, cold and drought. lt also gets plants growing faster.

Worldwide Shift to Biofuels Imminent, FAO Says
28 April 2006 Crop Biotech Net
The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations (UN) observes that momentum is gathering for a major international switch from fossil fuels to renewal bioenergy.

GM Cotton Researchers Win Award
27 April 2006 ABC (AU)
Research that led to genetically modified cotton, Australia's first transgenic broadacre crop, has been awarded a prestigious award.

Ministers Bullish on Biomass Fuel
27 April 2006 BBC
The UK government says energy from crops, trees and waste can play a key role in meeting targets on renewable power and cutting CO2 emissions.

Getting the Best out of Biomass
27 April 2006 Department of Trade & Industry
The plan accepts that energy from crops, trees and waste can make a strong contribution to reducing greenhouse gas emissions and sets out 12 key ways to make this happen.

8 New GM Products to Benefit Consumers Directly
26 April 2006 Monsanto UK
Monsanto's latest "Putting Technology to Work in the Field" brochure includes not only products which benefit consumers but 9 others specifically for food processors and over 20 for farmers - some of which have been available commercially for more than ten years.

Africa Cannot Ignore Food Biotechnology
26 April 2006 Kenya Times
Perhaps if the losses caused by pests, diseases, weeds, cost of insecticide, soil erosion, exhaustion etc can be minimised with the use of biotechnology, African countries, Kenya in particular, would not be begging for food for its citizen every year.

Salvage Prospect for 'Junk' DNA
26 April 2006 BBC
The genome may possess far more complexity than was imagined. A mathematical analysis of the human genome suggests that so-called "junk DNA" might not be so useless after all.

University Giessen Announces the Planting of Transgenic Barley
26 April 2006 Fankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung via Checkbiotech.org
The Justus Liebig University Giessen wants to plant transgenic barley on an experimental field-site. This would be the first time in Germany that such plants were planted outside of a laboratory, said professor Karl-Heinz Kogel on Monday in Giessen.

Biotech Group Sees GMO Crop Use Still Spreading
25 April 2006 Reuters
The global area planted to genetically modified crops, nearly four times the size of the United Kingdom last year, is likely to show double-digit growth again this year, the coordinator of a group promoting biotechnology in developing countries said on Tuesday.

Natural Selection at Single Gene Demonstrated
25 April 2006 University of Southern California
Biologists seeking elusive proof of natural selection at the single-gene level have a powerful new tool at their disposal.

Slovakia: Field-Test of GM Maize MON810
25 April 2006 Dow Jones Deutschland via Checkbiotech.org
GM maize will be grown in Slovakia this year for the first time.

Developments to Watch - Biotech Boom to Gain Momentum
25 April 2006 Agricultural Letter via Checkbiotech.org
The worldwide biotechnology boom in Genetically Modified (GM) crops is set to continue. World biotech acreages will keep increasing on last year's 90m ha as more countries adopt the technology.

Pleading Guilty
25 April 2006 Truth About Trade & Technology
My conversations with several of them, from Romania, Argentina, India, and the Philippines, reaffirmed in my own mind the reality that farm biotechnology is scale neutral--that is, it delivers important advantages to everyone, including small-time farmers who are simply trying to eke out a living for themselves and their families.

Future of Biotechnology, House of Commons Adjournment Debate
25 April 2006 The United Kingdom Parliament
We in this country need to facilitate the development of what is potentially the most exciting area of industrial development. That will keep us ahead of the game and will ensure that we keep a higher value added industry that we need if we are to compete in a world with many challenges.

Addressing Today's Core Issues for Better Food & Industry Growth
25 April 2006 Checkbiotech.org
But to realize biotechnology’s potential for driving food industry growth via new, more nutritious, better tasting, higher-value products, it is vital to distinguish true consumer wants from self-serving campaigns.

Learn to Profit from Biomass
25 April 2006 Farmers Weekly
Could generating renewable energy earn money for your farming business?

The Road to Better Soybeans Just Got a Big Boost
25 April 2006 Corn & Soybean Digest
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and USDA have joined forces to work on the study of plant and microbial genomics. The project funded by this partnership is an $11-million-dollar effort to decode the soybean genome.

Farmers Recognize Environmental Benefits of GM Crops
24 April 2006 Monsanto
Since first commercialized in 1996, GM crops have enabled farmers to incorporate farming practices that are more environmentally responsible – most notably decreased plowing and reduced pesticide applications.

Scientists Track Formation of Cellulose Fibers for the First Time
24 April 2006 AAAS
Molecules of cellulose synthase, the enzyme that produces cellulose, follow microtubule “tracks” in growing plant cells. Each image in this set consists of 30 frames, taken at 10 second intervals.

Algae Genes Boost Plants' Omega-3 Levels
24 April 2006 ABC (AU)
The scientists have identified five genes in omega-3 producing algae, which can be inserted into oilseed plants like canola and linseed.

Advancement in Kenya On GM Cotton
24 April 2006 allAfrica via Checkbiotech.org
Kenya's move towards the introduction of a genetically modified (GM) cotton variety is reportedly moving at a fast rate as the country takes steps to revive the once vibrant cotton sub-sector.

Going Biotech: A Spanish Farmer Discusses His Experience
24 April 2006 Voice of America
The main difference, he says, is in the use of insecticide. Mister Pomar says he sprays his conventional maize with insect poisons three to four times a season. With Bt maize, he says, he might spray once if maize borers are present in large numbers.

Biotechnology Advocates Look to a Brighter Future through Genetic Engineering
24 April 2006 Voice of America
Biotechnology can eradicate disease, provide renewable energy, solve the problem of world hunger and help the local economy.

Cameron Pledge on Carbon Emissions
24 April 2006 The Guardian
And he will spell out his plans to use incentives to spark greater research and development of environmentally-friendly technology such as hybrid engines, new generation diesel and biofuel.

The First Decade of Genetically Engineered Crops in the United States
22 April 2006 Economic Research Service, USDA
Ten years after the first generation of genetically engineered (GE) varieties became commercially available, adoption of these varieties by U.S. farmers is widespread for major crops. Driven by farmers' expectations of higher yields, savings in management time, and lower pesticide costs, the adoption of corn, soybean, and cotton GE varieties has increased rapidly.

Canada Tops the World in Biotech Crop Research and Development
21 April 2006 Council for Biotechnology Information
In the global game of high-tech agriculture, where 18 countries have already adopted biotech crops and another 45 are testing them, Canada is clearly a gold medal winner.

Kenya Advances on GM Cotton
21 April 2006 East African Business Week
Kenya's move towards the introduction of a genetically modified (GM) cotton variety is reportedly moving at a fast rate as the country takes steps to revive the once vibrant cotton sub-sector.

Genetically Engineered Foods Not a New Idea
21 April 2006 Corvallis Gazette-Times
Worried that genetically engineered food will unwittingly make its way onto your dinner table? You’re too late. By about 7,000 years.

Cuba Promoting Genetically Engineered Agriculture
21 April 2006 Cuban News Agency
Over 100 million genetically engineered plants have been produced in Cuban biotechnological institutions since their opening in 1988.

Technology, Less Tillage Helping Overcome Rising Production Costs
21 April 2006 Southwest Farm Press
He says cotton farmers in his area "would not have survived without genetics and improved technology. Improvements came along just when we needed them."

Transgenic Crops, EU Precaution, and Developing Countries
20 April 2006 BCSI, Harvard University
Agricultural biotechnologies have the potential to offer higher incomes for farmers in developing countries and lower-priced and better-quality food, feed and fibre. That potential is being heavily compromised, however, because of strict regulatory systems in the European Union and elsewhere governing transgenically modified (GM) crops.

GM Sorghum Project to Train Local Scientists
20 April 2006 The Nation
A window of opportunity has opened for local agricultural scientists to learn new tricks of fortifying sorghum, thanks to US philanthropists Bill and Melinda Gates who are bankrolling the project.

Buy Into the Bunk or Let Biotech Forge On
20 April 2006 Jennifer Marohasy
Farm organizations can chose to buy Jeffrey Smith’s doomsayer predictions about the safety of this already proven technology, or they can start insisting that the current bans on GM food crops are lifted and research like that into the anti-freeze gene is fast tracked here in Australia.

Our View - Benefits of Genetic Food Engineering
20 April 2006 The Jamaica Gleaner
Genetic engineering offers opportunities to develop new products in many different fields, including agriculture.

Europe’s Food Safety Agency Says Banned GMOs Pose No Risk
19 April 2006 Reuters via Checkbiotech.org
In a report requested by the European Commission, the Italy-based European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) said there would be no risk for all five GMOs to be placed on EU markets.

Research Institute Develops Insect-Resistant Cotton Variety
19 April 2006 Daily Times
National Institute for Biotechnology and Genetic Engineering (NIGBE), Faisalabad, has developed an insect-resistant cotton variety, which will reduce the national import bill of pesticides worth Rs 15 billion to half.

Imported GM Cooking Oil on Cards
19 April 2006 The Economic Times
The government is planning to approve import of cooking oil made from one variety of GM soyabean.

Monsanto Company Adopts Human Rights Policy
19 April 2006 Monsanto
The policy incorporates the company's longstanding policies, practices and commitments to human rights and includes provisions on: child labor, forced labor, compensation, working hours, harassment and violence, discrimination, safety, and freedom of association.

Internet Visionaries Betting On Green Technology Boom
18 April 2006 The Washington Post
Now, they're betting on the next great "disruptive" technology: alternative fuels and other environmentally friendly products, but this time other investors aren't far behind.

A Second Nematode-Foiling Gene Found in Grape Plants
18 April 2006 Agricultural Research Service, USDA
Agricultural Research Service (ARS) studies on grape genetics have uncovered a second gene that helps grape plants resist root-knot nematodes (Meloidogyne).

Potential of Genetically Engineered Crops
18 April 2006 Kenya Times
As the proponents of biotechnology have been crusading that genetically engineered crops could relieve hunger around the world, there are some evidence that biotech crops really could make a difference, at least in southern Africa.

Plant-Based Vaccine for Shiga Toxin
18 April 2006 USUHS
Researchers have developed a plant-based vaccine against bacterial Shiga toxin, and show that it is highly protective in mice.

Sending Out an SOS
17 April 2006 The Boston Globe
Plants' power to call for help might one day save farmers from having to use expensive pesticides to protect crops.

Costly Oil Sparks Interest in Alternatives
17 April 2006 Bloomberg via International Herald Tribune
As energy prices soar, investors are taking a closer look at the makers of alternative power sources like ethanol and windmills.

Strong Performance of Stacked Hybrids Expected to Promote Corn Acreage in 2006
17 April 2006 Seed Today
Mike Zuzolo, Chief Analyst with Risk Management Commodities, Inc., said the "impressive performance of stacked hybrid corn seeds in Illinois in 2005 amid less than ideal conditions has managed to provide value-added genetics to aid a farmer's bottom line and cut the risks associated with potentially dry summer conditions."

Fewer Restrictions Will Lead to Advancements in Transgenic Crops
14 April 2006 Southwest Farm Press
Less regulation will allow public entities – including universities – to pursue more transgenic crop research, which will help reduce the number of diseases found in plants, a researcher said recently.

GM Success Puts Cheap Drug for Malaria Within Reach of Africa
13 April 2006 The Times
A cheap and effective treatment for malaria could be available within a decade after scientists genetically engineered a form of yeast to make the key ingredient of the drug best able to fight the disease.

Philippine Farmers Embrace GM Crops
13 April 2006 Monsanto
The Philippines is one of 11 developing countries and one of the first countries in Asia to adopt GM crops. Corn growers in this country face persistently high levels of Asian corn borers that infest the crops and negatively impact yields.

Debate Over Genetically Modified Foods Essential
13 April 2006 University of Alberta
I don't think (Prakash) or I, or any responsible scientist would say genetic engineering is the answer to all the food problems. No. What I would say comfortably is that genetic engineering is such a powerful tool with the potential to assist in solving some of those problems.

Organic Farming: Scary Relic or Future Hope?
12 April 2006 ChronWatch
The all-organic farming of 1900 featured frequent food shortages, famines, and massive death tolls from the diseases of malnutrition. Farming without chemicals never supported more than one-fourth of current human numbers.

Antifreeze for Crops to Bring Rich Rewards
12 April 2006 Victoria, Australia
Victorian scientists have discovered antifreeze genes in a unique grass from Antarctica that could mean millions of extra dollars in farmers' pockets, Minister for Innovation John Brumby announced today at BIO2006 in Chicago.

Monsanto Co. Taking 3-Pronged Approach To Seed Devt
12 April 2006 Dow Jones via Cattle Network
Specifically, Fraley spoke of the three-pronged approach the seed company is taking in its crop development: creating more drought-resistant corn crops and corn crops that utilize nitrogen better for farmers; creating a soybean crop that is enhanced with omega-3 oils; and creating corn that creates more ethanol than conventional seeds.

Do We Still Need the Cartagena Protocol?
12 April 2006 SciDev.Net
Arnoldo Ventura argues that the international debate over the potential risks that GM crops pose to biodiversity is wasteful and unnecessary.

Researchers Discover Way to Transport Environmental Arsenic to Plant Leaves in New Clean-Up Strategy
12 April 2006 University of Georgia
The payoff could be a new and effective tool in cleaning up thousands of sites where arsenic presents serious dangers to human health.

Companies Tout Benefits of Biotech Products
11 April 2006 Reuters
U.S. food and seed companies plan to educate farmers and other customers about the benefits of genetically modified crops and animals, as part of their strategy to win marketplace acceptance for new products developed through biotechnology.

African MPs Welcome Use of Biotechnology to Improve Agriculture
11 April 2006 Xinhua via People's Daily
African Members of Parliament have given a nod to the use of biotechnology to improve agriculture, food security but called for intensive public education on the issue.

Companies Aim to Sell Consumers on Benefits
11 April 2006 Des Moines Register
Companies are betting that the worldwide public will be less resistant to biotech crops that yield consumer benefits and to the use of biotech enzymes and microbes to aid in the production of foods, chemicals and biofuels, a field known as industrial biotechnology.

Scientists Work to Fatten Up Soybeans with the Good Stuff
11 April 2006 St. Louis Post Dispatch
With the luxury of time -- and support from the agricultural biotech industry -- researchers at the University of Maryland say they can make a case in favor of genetically modified, nutritionally enhanced foods.

Scientists Breed Rice to Defy Climate Change
11 April 2006 San Diego Union-Tribune
Scientists are developing new flood and drought-prone rice varieties to combat the threat of global warming to Asia's food staple but more work is needed, the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) said.

Monsanto Announces $1 Million Leadership Gift
11 April 2006 Monsanto
Monsanto Center for Biotech Education to be Established Within the FFA Enrichment Center.

Opinion of the Scientific Panel GMO Related to Genetically Modified Crops
11 April 2006 European Food Safety Authority
Supported by the assessment of several applications on hybrids containing MON810 maize, the GMO Panel affirms its conclusions with respect to the potential impact of Cry1Ab toxin on biodiversity, that MON810 maize is unlikely to have adverse effects on human and animal health or the environment.

DuPont and Syngenta Form Joint Venture to Facilitate the Out-Licensing of Seed Genetics and Biotech Traits
10 April 2006 Syngenta
DuPont and Syngenta today announced in Chicago, Illinois the formation of a joint venture and licensing agreements that will bring expanded choice to North American farmers through broader access to the companies’ proprietary corn and soybean genetics and biotechnology traits.

Scientists Look to Leaves to Solve Energy Crisis
10 April 2006 In The News.co.uk
Leaves absorb energy from the sun and use it to split water into hydrogen and oxygen, which if scientists could replicate would mean large supplies of the gases for fuel.

Do Plants Have the Potential to Vaccinate Against HIV?
10 April 2006 St. George's University, London
Dr Patricia Obregon from the Division of Cellular and Molecular Medicine and a team of researchers have developed a new kind of molecule which they believe could ultimately lead to the development of a vaccine against HIV using genetically modified tobacco.

New Initiative May Lead to Better Peanuts
10 April 2006 Agricultural Research Service, USDA
Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientists in Stillwater, Okla., are an integral part of a new initiative to improve the peanut.

GM Crops, Drugs Critical for India's Development: Minister
09 April 2006 Agence France Presse via Yahoo!
Biologically engineered crops and pharmaceuticals are critical to the long-term economic and agricultural security of India, the science and technology minister said.

The Potential Environmental and Human Health Impacts of Growing Genetically-Modified Herbicide-Tolerant Sugar Beet
09 April 2006 Journal of Environmental Planning and Management
The GM variety results in lower potential environmental impacts on global warming, airborne nutrification, ecotoxicity (of soil and water) and watercourse enrichment, and lower potential human health impacts in terms of production of toxic particulates, summer smog, carcinogens and ozone depletion.

Pro: Science Can Help World
08 April 2006 Rockford Register Star
Farmers and consumers in the U.S. and the world benefit from access to biotechnology for the production of safe and abundant food.

Economic Impact of Transgenic Crops in Developing Countries
07 April 2006 Current Opinion in Biotechnology via AgBioWorld
Recent economic studies in developing countries find positive, but highly variable, economic returns to adopting transgenic crops.

Genetically Modified Plants Could Become Sentinels for the Military
07 April 2006 Ezine Articles
As concerns grow over the threat of bioterrorism and weapons of mass destruction, Penn State University genetic researchers are working on an early warning system -- the figurative canary in the mineshaft -- that could be as unobtrusive and ubiquitous as plants in a landscape.

World Health Miscues
07 April 2006 The Washington Times
The complicity of many U.N. agencies in the unscientific, ideological and excessive regulation of biotechnology -- also known as gene-splicing, or genetic modification (GM) -- has prevented critical advances in agricultural and pharmaceutical research and development.

Norman Borlaug: India's Hero Against Hunger
07 April 2006 AgBioWorld
For his crucial role in taking India, Pakistan and several other countries from hunger and starvation to self-sufficiency in foodgrains, Norman Borlaug received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1970.

The UN vs. Technology
07 April 2006 TCS Daily
Ironically, the techniques of the new biotechnology could be widely applicable and beneficial -- and supportive of so many of the UN's supposed aspirations.

On the Verge of Deregulation?
07 April 2006 Golfdom
If all goes well on the regulatory end, Roundup Ready creeping bentgrass, a joint project between The Scotts Co. and Monsanto Co. that has been in development for several years, might be available for sale next year.

Research Finds Dietary Fiber Gene
07 April 2006 Crop Biotech Net
These beta-glucans are an important component of dietary fiber, and have been found to help prevent and treat human health conditions such as colorectal cancer, obesity, non-insulin-dependent diabetes, high serum cholesterol, and cardiovascular disease.

Triticum Aestivum l (wheat)— an Incredibly Complex Genetic Soup
07 April 2006 Information Systems for Biotechnology (ISB)
The irony of wheat – which some want to see spared from genetic manipulation through biotechnology – is that the genetic manipulation of this crop over thousands of years makes decoding and thus ‘manipulating’ the genes of bread wheat all the more difficult today.

Protective Plague Vaccine Produced in Tobacco Leaves
07 April 2006 Information Systems for Biotechnology (ISB)
In conclusion, we have demonstrated that a rapid and robust plant based expression system could be used to produce an effective vaccine against plague.

Portable Scanner Designed for Plants
06 April 2006 New Scientist
Now Henk van As and his team at Wageningen University in the Netherlands have developed a portable MRI for studying living plants, from tobacco to maize.

More than 70 Foodgrains Bank Projects Benefit from Monsanto Offer of Donated Farm Inputs
06 April 2006 Monsanto Canada
Monsanto Canada will provide more than $115,000 in donated farm inputs to Canadian Foodgrains Bank growing projects in 2006. Once harvested, the proceeds from crops grown on community growing projects are donated to the Winnipeg-based aid agency to be used in its food programming activities overseas.

Nationals Off the GM Fence
06 April 2006 The Countryman
National Party MPs will table a pro-GM policy to their lay party in coming weeks which would see it withdraw their support for the moratorium on the growing of GM crops in WA.

India Gets Its Own GM Cotton
06 April 2006 The Telegraph
Cotton plants genetically modified by scientists at the Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur, and an Indian company are set to become India's first homegrown GM crops approved for commercial release.

Dutch Government Makes 3 Million Euros Available for Sequencing of the the First Potato Chromosome
06 April 2006 Potato Genome Sequencing Consortium via Checkbiotech
The Potato Genome Sequencing Consortium will start with the sequencing of the first potato chromosome, a project for which the Dutch government has today decided to make 3 million euros available.

Defending GMO Against the Culture of Precaution
06 April 2006 Molinari Economic Institute
The report defends the idea that far from ensuring the protection and safety of consumers, the culture of precaution deprives individuals of the many benefits of GMOs.

Vienna Conference on Co-Existence Between GM and Non GM Crops: Where Is the Co-Existence? Where Is the Choice?
05 April 2006 EuropaBio
"It must frustrate many in Europe that others, such as Commissioner Dimas spoke about issues that are irrelevant to co-existence such as environmental risk assessments for approvals of new products; co-existence is about existing approved products...The Commissioner appears to be confused about the facts; he misinformed the audience by telling them that "terminator technology" is being sold and by stating that "small farmers are being put out of business by GMOs. The evidence shows that out of the 9 million farmers growing GM crops worldwide, 90% of them are small scale farmers."

Monsanto Introduces Drought Relief Program
05 April 2006 Southwest Farm Press
With dry weather conditions persisting throughout the Southwest, Monsanto is announcing a 2006 Drought Relief program to help cotton producers reduce their weather-related risk.

Organics Not So Great, Team Says
05 April 2006 The Record
Ferguson said some consumers choose organic produce because they believe it's healthier and safer than genetically modified or chemically treated goods. That's not the case, she said.

Monsanto Reports Record 2nd Qtr Sales
05 April 2006 Reuters
Net income rose to $440 million from $373 million. Net sales for the second quarter, typically its biggest selling period, increased to $2.20 billion from $1.909 billion. The company cited greater adoption of its genetically modified corn seeds and the addition of the Seminis vegetable and fruit seed business, which Monsanto acquired last year.

New Wheat Cultivars to Meet Yield Challenge: Grains Week 2006
05 April 2006 CSIRO
The Grains Council of Australia's Grains Week program will highlight the most important domestic and international issues faced by the grains industry.

Soul Behind the Man - Norman Borlaug
04 April 2006 The Pioneer
Future historians, however, will acknowledge that this modest soul from America, with his firm belief in the promise and power of science, helped us walk the first step towards the 'Indian Dream' with a few humble wheat seeds.

Roundup Ready Corn to Reach 40% of US Corn Acres
04 April 2006 Agriculture Online
Roundup Ready Corn 2 is expected to be planted on more than 32 million acres this season, or about 40% of U.S. corn acres, according to Monsanto. That's up from a record 24 million acres in 2005.

US$3m for Global Survey of How Science Helps Farming
04 April 2006 SciDev.Net
The International Assessment of Agricultural Science and Technology for Development will evaluate the relevance and effectiveness of different agricultural technologies, from traditional irrigation techniques to genetically modified crops.

Debate: Genetically Modified Food and the WTO Ruling - All That Glitters...
04 April 2006 Ethical Corporation
GM remains a bad idea for all sorts of reasons, says Graham Thompson of Greenpeace UK.

Genetically Modified Algae Absorb Mercury
04 April 2006 Technocrat
A study at Ohio State University did experiments relating to the feasibility of using ultrasound to free mercury from sediments of waterways, and then used a genetically modified algae to absorb the mercury.

Battle Over GM Produce Moves to New Grounds
04 April 2006 The Herald (Glasgow)
Farmers and consumers should be given the opportunity to make their own decisions as to whether they want to grow or consume food that has been produced from genetically modified crops.

Scientists Link Grapes' Color to a Gene's Inner Workings
04 April 2006 Agricultural Research Service, USDA
Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientists have made an important genetic discovery that, in addition to unlocking secrets about why grapes are different colors, may allow for more efficient breeding of color-specific grapes.

Greens, Industry Clash Again on EU Biotech Policy (at Vienna Conference)
03 April 2006 Reuters UK
In a report issued on the eve of an EU conference on the subject in Vienna, FoE said the Commission's approach....was to ensure that GMO trade went unimpeded. The Commission, the EU's executive arm, dismissed the lobby group's criticism as "nonsense."

Branson to Put $400m into Making 'Green' Fuel
02 April 2006 The Independent on Sunday
Sir Richard Branson is to invest up to $400m (£230m) in factories producing environmentally friendly ethanol fuel, which he hopes to use in his trains and, potentially, his planes.

A Cornfield Grows in McCormick Place
02 April 2006 Chicago Tribune
In much of the world, genetically modified crops are welcomed by farmers. Since the first modified soybeans were launched commercially a decade ago biotech crops have seen double digit growth every year.

Fibre Leads to Genetic Breakthrough
02 April 2006 Sydney Morning Herald
Cereals manipulated to be higher in fibre could soon be on the menu following a breakthrough in genetic research.