Vulnerabilities in the international food chain are evident as an
unapproved genetically modified corn leaks into feed, flour and
oils; but Europe's food safety agency says this week the illegal
Bt10 corn is unlikely to pose...
Vulnerabilities in the international food chain are evident as an
unapproved genetically modified corn leaks into feed, flour and
oils; but Europe's food safety agency says this week the illegal
Bt10 corn is unlikely to pose...
With the countdown extended, talks continue this week in Geneva
between the US and Brussels to move the entrenched trade dispute on
genetically modified organisms forward.
UN-backed food organisation warns food producers and consumers to
stay calm, after a few cases of mad cow disease are identified in
Canada and the US, and last month the first case of Bovine
Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE) in a goat.
The UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) is working with
Swiss experts to improve global BSE surveillance measures after a
spate of recent bad publicity.
Current science finds no link between goat meat and meat product
consumption and variant Creutzfeldt Jakob Disease (vCJD). But a
group of experts calls for new research, to fully understand the
risk this meat may pose to the food...
Europe's food watchdog confirms the first case of mad cow disease
has been identified in a goat in France. This is the first case of
the disease identified in animals other than cattle.
Up-and-coming Advanced Bionutrition (ABN) has captured the
attention of venture capitalists in the biotechnology field,
raising $7.5 million in a second round of private equity funding.
Another case of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) has been
reported in Canada, raising fears that public confidence in beef
could be further undermined, writes Anthony Fletcher.
The British beef industry is hoping for a boost following
theannouncement of the start of a managed transition towards the
lifting of the Over Thirty Month (OTM) rule.
The European Commission has retroactively authorised Italy to grant
state aid of €169 million to counter the effects of the 2001 BSE
('mad cow disease') crisis.
The opening of the Community Reference Laboratory (CRL) for the
authorisation of feed additives follows recent concern over
additive and antibiotic residues entering the food chain.
EU health commissioner David Byrne has expressed his confidence in
the food chain as a contamination scare highlights the value of
traceability and the progress made in reducing risks to the complex
food production industry.
Europe's food watchdog reaffirms the safety of a GM sweetcorn
designed by biotech giant Monsanto on the back of new evidence
submitted by German scientists.
GM starch and corn oil are cleared for use in European food
formulations after Brussels gives the green light on a genetically
modified maize line from US biotech giant Monsanto, reports
Lindsey Partos.
For the first time in Europe's history, and in the face of strong
opposition, European countries will be able to grow GM maize in
their fields as Brussels waves through a biotech corn into the EU's
catalogue.
Despite tough new rules on GM food labels, food makers will stick
to non-GM alternatives as new evidence from the UK shows British
consumers will continue to refuse to buy foods containing biotech
ingredients.
The world's watchdog for food rules has given the green light to
over 20 new and amended food standards covering animal feeding,
milk products and a newly adopted definition for traceability.
Food safety concerns rise in the UK as the Food Standards Agency
launches an investigation into the apparent failure by the meat
hygiene arm of the food watchdog to test some casualty cattle aged
between 24 and 30 months for BSE before...
As the anti-GM feel gains pace in Europe Britain's third largest
retailer Sainsbury has seized the moment launching onto the
supermarket shelves a milk produced from cows 'guaranteed to have
been fed a GM free diet'....
Accreditation of Genetic ID's testing for detection of genetically
modified materials in raw foods, processed foods, and animal feed
has been renewed by the United Kingdom Accreditation Service
(UKAS).
With stringent rules on the labelling of genetically modified
ingredients entering into force earlier this week, the European
Commission has laid out the framework for the tough new
regulations.
The safety of chicken eggs has been challenged by a UK
environmental pressure group, just weeks after figures showing the
lowest levels of Salmonella in years were published. The Soil
Association claims that as many as one in eight...
As Asia slowly recovers from the bird flu crisis, mounting corn
prices are now hitting poultry and other livestock producers as
they race to restock feed supplies. With corn stocks in China
hitting new lows, other feed alternatives...
Favourable news for the pro-GM camp as a team of British scientists
claims that genetically modified (GM) maize is less damaging to
wildlife than conventional varieties. At the same time, leading UK
organisations call on Tony Blair...
The decision by meat processing giant Tyson to consolidate two
poultry manufacturing operations in Mississippi represents yet more
upheaval for America's meat processing industry. The firm's
decision, which follows a comprehensive...
Monsanto will have to wait a little longer to find out if it will
be granted permission by the European Union authorities to import
its genetically modified (GM) maize NK603 into the trading bloc.
Canada is looking into regulations that would force companies to
use only non-food plants for producing industrial or pharmaceutical
products. The purpose of such a law would be to reduce any risk of
contaminating human food or livestock...
The European Commission today backed a proposal to allow imports of
Bt-11, a genetically modified (GM) maize type. This represents the
first step towards lifting the EU's five-year unofficial ban on new
GM crops and products....
A US delegation, which is in Japan this week to convince the
country to open the gates to US beef imports, may have its plans
scuppered as the Japanese farm ministry says it is very wary of
more BSE cases in the US.
Legislation in the Netherlands has been passed that substantially
reduces the number of ingredients that can be used in the
manufacture of livestock feed. Food processors in Europe will be
looking closely to see whether such legislation...
As the United States deals with the fallout from the first case of
mad cow disease to hit the country, an international organisation
warns countries to stay on the alert and buck up controls.
A row over the safety of farmed salmon has flared up in the UK amid
concerns over the levels of cancer-causing toxins present in the
farmed variety compared to its wild sister following findings from
a new US study.
DNA evidence suggests - to a high degree of certainty - that the
BSE-positive cow found in Washington State originated from a dairy
farm in Alberta, Canada, according to the USDA. The department also
believes that the safeguards put...
MEPs last week voted to adopt a contentious report calling for
rules to be established at the community level on the coexistence
of genetically modified (GM) crops with ordinary crops. A move that
squares up against the Commission...
A suspected mad cow has shocked the Czech State Veterinary
Authority (SVS) by being only 3 years old. Previous cases of the
disease in the state have always dated back to cows born between
the years 1995 and 1997.
The European Union has given its first indication that it may lift
its five year block on GMOs, stating that the ban could be lifted
before the end of the year.
The Council of Ministers yesterday formally adopted two European
Commission proposals on genetically modified organisms,
establishing a clear EU system to trace and label GMOs in food and
feed products.
The Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO)
said in a statement this week that the discovery of bovine
spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) in a cow in Canada should not
result in widespread hysteria in Europe and...
The European Court of Justice has this week annulled the
Commission's decision to end the ban on bovine products from
Portugal, following a French-led legal challenge. The ruling is
expected to have a European-wide impact on...
The Standing Committee on the Food Chain and Animal Health at the
European Commission has adopted a series of transitional and
permanent implementing measures in preparation for the application
of the Animal By-Products Regulation...