Paris | Reuters — The large number of European countries opposing GMO cultivation may have given the impression the bloc is putting a brake on GMOs, but with new crops queuing for approval and key countries leaving the door open, output is more likely to grow than wane. Nineteen out of 28 EU member states […] Read more
Think Europe’s halting GMOs? It could be heading for more
U.S. workers sue Monsanto claiming herbicide caused cancer
Reuters — A U.S. farm worker and a horticultural assistant have filed lawsuits claiming Monsanto’s Roundup herbicide caused their cancers and Monsanto intentionally misled the public and regulators about the dangers of the herbicide. The lawsuits come six months after the World Health Organization’s cancer research unit said it was classifying glyphosate, the active weed-killing […] Read more
France bolsters ban on genetically modified crops
Paris | Reuters — France is to use a new European opt-out scheme to ensure a ban on the cultivation of genetically modified crops in the country remains in place, it said on Thursday. The European Union’s largest grain grower and exporter has asked the European Commission for France to be excluded from some GM […] Read more
French court upholds Monsanto poisoning ruling
Lyon/Paris|Reuters — A French court upheld on Thursday a 2012 ruling in which Monsanto was found liable in the chemical poisoning of a French farmer, who says he suffered neurological problems after inhaling the U.S. company’s Lasso herbicide. The decision by an appeal court in Lyon confirmed the initial judgment, the first such case heard in court […] Read more
Monsanto, rivals eye next step after Syngenta deal collapse
Chicago | Reuters –– Monsanto, having ditched an audacious US$46 billion offer for Syngenta, may downshift to a humbler strategy of beefing up its crop protection portfolio through other acquisitions, partnerships and licensing agreements. The deal’s collapse leaves Monsanto, Syngenta and other agrochemical sector companies facing a bleak landscape of plummeting grain prices and farm […] Read more
Monsanto no longer pursuing Syngenta
Reuters — U.S. agribusiness leader Monsanto on Wednesday abandoned pursuit of Swiss rival Syngenta, which had rejected a recently sweetened US$47 billion offer. Syngenta shares fell more than 18 per cent on the news, while Monsanto shares jumped more than seven per cent. The Swiss agrichemicals group said its board unanimously rejected the offer, which it […] Read more
Monsanto sweetens offer for Syngenta
New York/Chicago | Reuters — U.S.-based Monsanto sweetened its offer to buy Switzerland’s Syngenta, valuing the company at around US$47 billion as it tries to lure the Swiss firm to the negotiating table, a person familiar with the matter said on Monday. Monsanto, which wants to combine its world-leading seeds business with Syngenta’s own seeds […] Read more
Watch what you spray — or the entire grain industry could pay
Grain buyers are testing pesticide residues like never before
Reading Time: 2 minutes When it comes to pesticide residues, the world is watching like never before. “Everybody is looking more at food safety and health safety — there’s more scrutiny all the time with all the chemicals that we’re using,” said Jim Smolik, assistant chief commissioner of the Canadian Grain Commission. He cited China as an example. The […] Read more
Scientists seek review of glyphosate, allege ‘flawed’ regulations
Reuters — U.S. regulators have relied on flawed and outdated research to allow expanded use of an herbicide linked to cancer, and new assessments should be urgently conducted, according to a column published in the New England Journal of Medicine on Wednesday. There are two key factors that necessitate regulatory action to protect human health, […] Read more
U.S. farm, consumer groups aim to block Monsanto bid for Syngenta
Reuters — Several U.S. farm and consumer groups are working on strategies to derail a proposed tie-up of Monsanto and agricultural seeds and chemicals rival Syngenta, saying a combination of the market leaders would spell fewer and higher-priced products. Coalitions of opponents are being formed and market analyses being done, moves that underscore the hurdles […] Read more
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
