Reading Time: < 1 minute Beijing | Reuters — China will increase its efforts to boost output of soybeans and edible oils, state media reported on Monday, citing a key rural policy document, as it continues to push for greater self-sufficiency in its key food supplies. The world’s top soybean buyer is trying to lower its heavy reliance on imports […] Read more
China to plant more soy, speed up GMOs to ensure food supply
Beijing reiterates goals to increase soy acres, intercrop with corn
Mexico open to deal with U.S. on GMO corn
U.S. corn growers seek clarity over ban
Reading Time: 2 minutes Mexico City | Reuters — Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said on Tuesday he is seeking a deal with Washington after the United States threatened legal action over Mexico’s plan to ban genetically modified (GMO) corn in 2024. After meeting with Mexican officials on Monday, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack said Mexico’s decree […] Read more
Argentina’s Bioceres says GMO wheat gets OK from U.S. FDA
Reading Time: 2 minutes London/Chicago | Reuters – The U.S. Food and Drug Administration concluded a review of Argentine biotechnology firm Bioceres’ BIOX.BA genetically modified (GMO) wheat without further questions, a “key step” to commercializing it in the United States, the company said on Monday. While corn and soy crops used predominantly to feed livestock are commonly planted with […] Read more
China to give safety approval to more domestic GMO corn types
Reading Time: 2 minutes Beijing | Reuters – China plans to approve the safety of more genetically modified (GMO) corn varieties produced by domestic companies, the agriculture ministry said on Dec. 27. The move comes after Beijing last month proposed an overhaul of regulatory seed rules to pave the way for approval of GMO crops and as top policy […] Read more
China proposes new rules to ease GMO approvals
Leadership seeks 'turnaround' in seed sector
Reading Time: 2 minutes Beijing | Reuters — China is planning changes to its seed regulations that will make it easier to approve genetically modified crops, a move seen as a critical step toward commercializing GM corn. The ministry of agriculture and rural affairs published a draft document late on Friday proposing a series of amendments to several different […] Read more
Brazil clears GMO wheat flour from Argentina in global first
Sales, however, may be slow
Reading Time: 3 minutes Sao Paulo/Buenos Aires | Reuters –– Brazil on Thursday became the first country to allow imports of flour made with genetically modified wheat, though shipments of the new variety developed in Argentina are unlikely anytime soon due to opposition from Brazilian millers and global consumers. The decision may spur a broader global discussion about genetically […] Read more
Mexico won’t limit GMO corn imports from U.S., ag minister says
Reading Time: < 1 minute Ankeny, Iowa | Reuters — Mexico’s agriculture minister said the country would not limit imports of genetically modified (GMO) corn from the United States during a meeting with U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack in Iowa on Wednesday. Mexico published an executive order late last year that sought to ban in three years the use of […] 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
The next step to GMO wheat
Argentina has approved a drought-resistant GMO variety. Will it come to Canada?
Reading Time: 5 minutes Bioceres, an Argentine biotech company, has released a genetically modified wheat variety that is both drought-tolerant and resistant to glufosinate-ammonium. Known as HB4, it was approved late in 2020 although it still faces a number of significant hurdles, first of which is convincing Brazil, Argentina’s largest export market, to accept the innovation. Also, of course, […] Read more
Bayer, Corteva in ‘two-dog battle’ over U.S. soy market
Companies' GM soybeans jockey for market share
Reading Time: 3 minutes Chicago | Reuters — Bayer is launching a new genetically modified soybean in the United States, striking back against rival Corteva in a bid to retain its dominant position supplying seeds to the $40 billion U.S. soy industry. Billions of dollars are on the table for companies producing a growing variety of seeds for soybeans, […] Read more
A message from April Stewart, Country Guide's Associate Editor
