Open Letter to Germany’s Call to Ban Biotech Maize
March 6, 2009| |
"Nothing has been found to indicate that MON810 (biotech maize) represents a bigger or different risk to the environment than that presented by conventional maize cultivation. On the contrary, the cultivation of MON810 proved to be much more gentle on the environment than using insecticides to treat fields infested with the European corn borer." German ecologist Dr. Stefan Rauschen, who has been conducting research on the environmental safety of Bt maize, forwarded this perspective in an open letter to Germany's Minister of Agricuture IIse Aigner and the Bavarian Environment and Health Minister, Markus Söder (CSU). IIse had earlier said she was considering a ban on the cultivation of genetically modified maize in Germany.
"The discrepancy between the scientific findings on the one hand and the political activities on the other undermines the credibility of the German and international researchers and the institutions at which this research is conducted. If politicians do not take the results of this research seriously and ignore them, why should citizens do otherwise?"
Read more about the open letter of Dr. Stefen Rauschen and the Minister of Agriculture's call for a ban on the cultivation of GM maize at http://www.gmo-safety.eu/en/news/679.docu.html
| |
Biotech Updates is a weekly newsletter of ISAAA, a not-for-profit organization. It is distributed for free to over 22,000 subscribers worldwide to inform them about the key developments in biosciences, especially in biotechnology. Your support will help us in our mission to feed the world with knowledge. You can help by donating as little as $10.
-
See more articles:
-
News from Around the World
- Improving Agricultural Productivity and Markets for Global Food and Nutrition Security
- A Magic Pea Leads a New Green Revolution in the Drylands
- Uganda to Start Biotech Cotton Trials
- WARDA: Rice Crisis May Help African Countries Improve their Economies
- IFAD-Supported Program to Boost Agriculture in Tanzania
- Scientists Develop Sugar-Enriched Corn
- Discovery may Help Scientists Develop Rust-Proof Beans
- Wheat Growers Approve Petition to Support Biotech Wheat
- Leucadendron Molecular Marker Breeding
- IRRI and Dupont to Collaborate on Rice Research and Development
- Bulgaria Supports Hungary’s Anti-GM Stance
- Open Letter to Germany’s Call to Ban Biotech Maize
- Why Make Tough Laws on GMOs and Then Break Them
- Second Mandate for CIRAD Leader
-
Research Highlights
- 200,000 Rice Mutants for Functional Genomics of Grasses
- No huge effect on Gene Flow from Volunteer Biotech Maize
-
From the BICs
- BICs Hold Annual Meeting in Manila
-
Announcements
- ISAAA Video “Q&A with Clive James”
- FAO to Host E-mail Conference on Biotech
- International Greek Biotechnology Forum
- Hands-on Gene Technology Workshop in Australia
-
Resources
- Book on Environmental Impact of GM Crops
-
Read the latest: - Biotech Updates (May 15, 2024)
- Gene Editing Supplement (May 15, 2024)
- Gene Drive Supplement (February 22, 2023)
-
Subscribe to BU: - Share
- Tweet