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ECOWAS MINISTERS URGED TO IMPLEMENT BIOTECH ACTION PLAN development; ratifying the Cartagena rotocol; developing and adopting national biosafety laws and biotechnology policies by 1st July 2006; facilitating harmonization of the regional biosafety systems by July 2008; cooperating with regional and nternational organizations to establish biotechnology information centres and to raise public awareness; creating a und to monitor and evaluate the impact of agricultural biotechnology on the ies of the sub region; and ensuring dialogue among all stakeholders. For more information, dotunge@absfafrica.orgPifeconomMinisters of Agriculture from the Economic Community for West African States (ECOWAS) gathered today in the Malian capital of Bamako to endorse a regional action plan for agricultural biotechnology development. The Ministerial meeting was officially opened by Hon. Ahmed Diane Semega, Malian minister of Mining, Energy, and Water. He urged ECOWAS Ministers to take advantage of the new opportunities offered by science and technology especially biotechnology to play a role in addressing some of these challenges. The meeting of experts came up with key recommendations to set the Action Plan in motion.They included increasing investment in Biotechnology research and
GERMANY TO FUND BIOSAFETY RESEARCH With issues such as the effectiveness of antibiotics and herbicides attached to genetically modified (GM) crops, studies are needed to evaluate the safety of these crops, in terms of their effect on health and the environment. In order to meet this need, the German government will support research into the safety of GM plants with ten million euro over the next three years. A total of 24 projects will receive funding. Seven of them will address the replacement of antibiotics and herbicide resistance genes; nine will focus on transgenic maize varieties; while the rest of the projects will investigate safety aspects of fungus-resistant biotech crops and transgenic potatoes. Results of the studies will soon be available at http://www.biosicherheit.de
IR-MAIZE TO BE LAUNCHED July 5th, 2005 will mark the first day that Imidazolinone-Resistant maize (IR-maize), or the Clearfield system, will be used. Eight years of research will culminate in a launch in Kisumu, Kenya, and in a ceremony to be presided over by Kenya Agricultural Research Institute (KARI) Director Dr. Romano Kiome. IR-maize, developed by breeding, protects the crop from Striga, a parasitic weed that has caused major problems for Sub-Saharan African farmers for over 70 years. Various control methods have been exercised over the years, but none have been effective in attacking the weed before its emergence. The new technology does exactly that: germinating Striga is killed before it can infect maize roots, and remaining seeds of the weed are destroyed, reducing weed numbers dramatically.
Read more at
http://www.kari.org.
EU COUNCIL FAILS TO LIFT ILLEGAL BANS ON GM PRODUCTS Despite the European Union’s (EU) own scientificauthorities’ assertion that genetically modified (GM) products are safe, some five Member States still implement bans on EU-approved GM products. The EU Environmental Council was unable to lift the bans in Austria, France, Greece, Germany, and Luxembourg through a qualified majority vote. EuropaBio, the association of bioindustries in Europe, said that this the first time that the Council has voted to rejectan EU proposal to remove safeguard measures on GM products. The Scientific Committees and the European Food Safety Authority had earlier reviewed the justifications provided by the Member States and, in every case, had concluded that the bans are not justified. The vote however, does not affect any current commercial planting. Meanwhile, “Plants for the Future”, the new European agricultural research agenda, will be announced on July 5 in Strasbourg by Commissioner Potocnik, EU Research Commissioner. This will be web cast live from http://www.europabio.org. Visit http://www.europabio.org/articles/Invite%20to%20Green%20SRA%20TP%20launch.htm for more news from Europabio.
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