Reading Time: 3 minutes The National Farmers Union and a clutch of other organizations have asked Canada’s federal ag minister to replace the president of the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, citing questions about the provenance of regulatory proposals on gene-edited seed. CFIA officials, however, reject the NFU’s allegation that the metadata attached to the proposal document in question may […] Read more
CropLife not driving CFIA policy, agency says
NFU calls for CFIA head's ouster over 'indication of improper collaboration'
Maryland man recovering after ‘breakthrough’ pig-heart transplant
Hog's genes edited to reduce rejection risk
Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — A U.S. man with terminal heart disease was implanted with a genetically modified pig heart in a first-of-its-kind surgery, and three days later the patient is doing well, his doctors reported on Monday. The surgery, performed by a team at the University of Maryland Medicine, is among the first to demonstrate […] Read more
U.S. surgeons successfully test pig kidney transplant in human patient
Reading Time: 2 minutes New York | Reuters — For the first time, a pig kidney has been transplanted into a human without triggering immediate rejection by the recipient’s immune system, a potentially major advance that could eventually help alleviate a dire shortage of human organs for transplant. The procedure done at NYU Langone Health in New York City […] Read more
Regulations on gene-edited crops to be eased in England
Reading Time: < 1 minute London | Reuters — Britain’s farming and environment minister George Eustice announced Wednesday that regulations related to gene editing in agricultural research would be eased in England following a public consultation. Rules will now largely be aligned with conventional breeding methods for research and development into plants although scientists will still be required to notify […] Read more
France backs non-GMO regulation for crop gene-editing in EU
Reading Time: < 1 minute Paris | Reuters — France sees crops developed using gene-editing techniques as different to genetically modified organisms (GMOs) and opposes a European Union court decision to put them under strict GMO regulations, the country’s agriculture minister said. The European Court of Justice (ECJ) ruled in 2018 that mutagenesis, among so-called new breeding techniques (NBT) based […] Read more
USDA limits review requirements of some biotech farm products
Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced on Thursday a rule that will simplify or waive agency reviews of certain biotech farm products, including plants and seeds that have been genetically modified or engineered. As a result, some products could be sold to farmers without a USDA review — a move that […] Read more
Gene-edited chickens planned in bid to halt next pandemic
Reading Time: 2 minutes London | Reuters — British scientists are developing gene-edited chickens designed to be totally resistant to flu in a new approach to trying to stop the next deadly human pandemic. The first of the transgenic chicks will be hatched later this year at the Roslin Institute at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland, said Wendy […] Read more
GMO rules cover plant gene editing technique, top EU court says
Reading Time: 2 minutes Brussels | Reuters — Crops obtained by plant breeding technique mutagenesis should fall under laws restricting the use of genetically modified organisms (GMOs), Europe’s highest court said on Wednesday, in a victory for environmental campaigners. The biotech industry had argued that much of mutagenesis, or gene editing, is effectively little different to the mutagenesis that […] Read more
Limagrain says GMO protests could force R+D relocation
Reading Time: 2 minutes Paris | Reuters — Limagrain, the world’s fourth-largest seed maker, will consider moving its research activities out of France if field trials in its home market continue to be sabotaged by opponents of genetically modified crops. The French co-operative group was targeted last month by protestors who invaded test fields southeast of Paris and scattered […] Read more
Our CRISPR future
New technology promises to shove traditional GMO breeding aside, with huge gains for growers
Reading Time: 7 minutes Where were you when… you heard of GPS or Bt corn for the first time? Both were seminal moments of the past 25 years in agriculture that have led to further innovation and advances, increasing growers’ efficiency and productivity at practically every step of the way. Now, CRISPR technology represents another of these seminal moments, […] Read more
A message from April Stewart, Country Guide's Associate Editor
