| | 06/May/21
| | What the global battle against the fall armyworm reveals about how the US and China see the future of global food production Chinese and US officials have negotiated what appears to be a gentleman’s agreement that would allow the two countries to work together in the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO). That understanding appears to have been built on a common economic interest of the two countries, namely the continued expansion of commercial technologies in animal and crop health, including pesticides and insecticidal genetically modified (GM) crops, especially in Sub-Saharan Africa and Asia — regions adversely affected by the fall armyworm but in which the application of these technologies is still relatively low. In other words, areas that represent large potential markets for agricultural technologies. Another expression of the shared US-China agenda to promote conventional pesticides and GM crops was manifested in a 2020 agreement between FAO and CropLife, an international trade association representing the chemical and GM crop protection industry. [GMW: This article is by Allan Hruska, who worked for the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations for over 15 years. Before he retired from the organization in 2019, he was principal technical coordinator for FAO’s fall armyworm response. Currently he is director of Global IDEAS at Michigan State University.] Issues in Science and Technology Weedkillers are accelerating the rise of antibiotic-resistant bacteria New research shows that application of three herbicides commonly used on GM herbicide-tolerant crops — glyphosate, glufosinate, and dicamba — increase the prevalence of antibiotic resistance genes in soil microbiomes. The mechanism is that soil bacteria, like plants, are becoming resistant to weedkillers — and the bugs that are most resistant were found to carry a genetic mutation that also makes them resistant to antibiotics. Molecular Biology and Evolution; The New Daily, both via GMWatch Canada: Green MP pushes for ban on glyphosate herbicides A private member's bill to ban the use of glyphosate in Canada was tabled last month by Green MP Jenica Atwin. It will open a discussion about the controversial chemical. Atwin says the bill was driven by the tens of thousands of New Brunswickers opposing the practice of spraying glyphosate on Crown forests. National Observer Reform of EU law on new GM as envisaged by EU Commission would weaken precautionary principle The EU Commission has published a report on new genomic techniques (New GE, genome editing) in plants and animals. It concluded that the current EU GMO regulation should be reformed. Its fundamental goals are to promote New GE applications in agriculture and to foster international trade and product development. A public consultation will be held in the coming months to resolve open questions. Testbiotech plans to contribute to the consultation and also sees the need for some adjustment, as the risk assessment of the New GE applications is much more complex compared to ‘Old GE’. But it concludes that the EU Commission report is too one-sided and may weaken the precautionary principle. Testbiotech The origin of COVID: Did people or nature open Pandora’s box at Wuhan? The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted lives the world over for more than a year. Yet its origin remains uncertain. The political agendas of governments and scientists have generated thick clouds of obfuscation, which the mainstream press seems helpless to dispel. Science journalist Nicholas Wade sorts through the available scientific facts, which hold many clues as to what happened, and provides readers with the evidence to make their own judgments. He then assesses the complex issue of blame, which starts with, but extends far beyond, the government of China. [GMW: This is one of the most complete and insightful articles we've read on this issue.] Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists DONATE TO GMWATCH __________________________________________________________ Website: http://www.gmwatch.org
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