Alert: Stop Release of 1st Temperate GE Tree (Plum)
Global Justice Ecology Project

The US Department of Agriculture is accepting public comments between now and July 17, 2006 on a petition that would allow commercial growing and marketing of the first genetically engineered (GE) plum trees. If approved, this would remove all regulatory oversight of this GE variety, a virus-resistant plum tree known as the Honey Sweet Pox Potyvirus Resistant plum. This would open the door to GE varieties of many other related stone fruits, such as peaches, apricots, cherries and almonds, that are susceptible to the same virus. Ironically, this virus is not even found in the US today according to the USDA, and is certainly not a significant agricultural problem here.

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Berlin Manifesto for GMO-free Regions and Biodiversity in Europe
GENET, Foundation Future Farming...

European Conference, Berlin 22 -23 January 2005 - The Regions of Europe should be given the final say on the growing of genetically modified crops (GMOs) in their area, a major European conference today concluded.The conference, organised during the International Green Week in Berlin, heard that with over 100 regional and 3500 sub-regional areas now declaring themselves GMO-free, it was time for European law to be changed to protect such areas from the cultivation of GM crops. 200 delegates from GMO free regions and from 30 European countries called on the European institutions to protect conventional and organic seeds from GMO contamination, to establish the regions right to stay GMO-free and to give them a say in the approval process of GMOs, which they find scientifically questionable and not based on the precautionary principle.

[ NGO Network on Genetic Engineering | Foundation on Future Farming ]

Bayer Abandons GM crops in India and UK
indymedia.org.uk features

15th Nov: In an admission of immense significance to the entire genetic engineering industry, Bayer Crop Science has conceded to Greenpeace India that all of its projects on genetically engineered crops in India have been "discontinued" [see newswire report | Bayer Admission Letter (pdf) | Greenpeace Statement]
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Deutsch (original) | Castellano

Commercial use of Genetically Modified Trees yet on its way
vlo

Commercial use of Genetically Modified Trees have been pushed under the Climate Change agenda and are already a practice in China. December 2003 the United Nations have approved GM-trees as a means to offset CO2. A month later a coalition of Finnish NGOs launched a petition calling for a global ban on GM trees. This petition for a global ban on GM trees will be presented for the UNFCCC at its 10th session this December. In the meantime more field trials have been developed and resistance have been growing.

[ Sign the Petition | Articles on GM-trees | World Rain Forest Movement ]