The Genetic Technology (Precision Breeding) Bill, removing barriers to research into new gene editing technology, will be introduced in Parliament … read more

The Scottish government has announced that it is to ban the growing of genetically modified (GM) crops. read more

The diets of rodents in food safety and toxicology studies is the topic of a paper published in the journal PLOS ONE, in which the authors report the presence of contaminants including heavy metals, pesticides, and genetically modified organisms in the feed or lab rodents. The authors go on to suggest that such contaminants could affect the reliability of toxicity testing in general. read more

Work published in Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B outlines a trial of GM Desiree potatoes that are blight-resistant. read more

Environment minister Owen Paterson gave a speech at Rothamsted Research, calling for the UK to adopt the use of genetically modified crops. read more

The European Food Safety Authority’s final review reaffirmed its initial assessment that Séralini et al’s conclusions, in a paper in Food and Chemical Toxicology which linked GM maize to the development of tumours in rats, cannot be regarded as scientifically sound because of inadequacies in the design, reporting and analysis of the study. read more

A study published in the journal Food and Chemical Toxicology purported to show that rats fed on GM maize were more likely to develop cancerous tumours and to die prematurely. read more

Scientists at Rothamsted have produced a variety of wheat that produces an aphid alarm pheromone, with the aim of making wheat production less reliant on pesticides. The wheat was developed to fight off aphids using the same odour that peppermint plants release naturally. The team is planting the wheat in what will be only the third field trial of a genetically modified crop variety in the UK. read more

As BASF announced it would relocate its transgenic plant operations from Europe to the USA due to a “lack of acceptance for this technology”, the SMC circulated reaction from plant scientists. read more

Researchers briefed journalists on the first clinical trial involving a monoclonal antibody produced from genetically modified plants, designed for use as a topical microbicide preventing HIV transmission between sexual partners. read more