The promises of new and emerging biotechnologies receive continuing attention and promotion. Many governments place high hopes in the new technologies to deliver development. Policy papers and public statements refer to modern biotechnology, genomics, proteomics, and increasingly, nanotechnology.

For developing countries and countries with economies in transition, this raises fundamental questions of development priorities, technology choices and availability of financial and human resources.

There is much to learn from the experiences of developed countries. This includes: the growth of the pharmaceutical, agriculture and chemical (seeds and agro-chemicals) industries and their shaping of the investment climate and consumer market; the evolution of intellectual property standards and rules; the experiences of ?biotechnology clusters? in the United States upon which many developing countries are drawing lessons; the commercial interest in microorganisms and their derivatives such as enzymes and other biomolecules.

Few GMOs Using New Genomic Techniques Actually Reach the Market

Based on the US experience where few GMOs produced from new techniques have been commercialized, it is unlikely that Europe, even if it deregulates such GMOs, will avail itself of new products as promised by their backers. […]

Gene-edited Crops and Animals: Hype or Reality?

Gene edited crops and animals appear characterized by incomplete science and a reckless boom-and-bust business model – hardly the answer to ensuring food security. […]

How Biotech Giants Use Patents and New GMOs to Control the Future of Food

Global biotech companies are seeking to increase their control over the future of farming by extensively patenting plants and developing a new generation of GMOs. […]

Patents on New Genetic Engineering Applications in Plants

This report discusses the increasing number of patent applications being filed and granted in Europe on new genetic engineering technologies in plants. […]

Gene-Edited Waxy Corn May Pave Way for Further Genome Edited Crops

Release of Corteva’s gene-edited waxy corn without the risk assessments and regulations required of GM crops raises serious concerns and could pave the way for future introduction of genome edited crops. […]

Genetically Engineered Clothes Threaten Farmers’ Livelihoods and Ecosystems

The commercial expansion of GE textiles made by synthetic biology could undermine farmers, create a new source of biotech waste, put additional pressure on ecosystems, and divert support away from truly sustainable natural fibre economies. […]

New Lab-Created Animal Protein Replacements Need Careful Assessment

This report calls for new food ingredients such as animal protein alternatives derived from biotechnologies, including genetic engineering, to be assessed for safety before being allowed to be used in food or placing on the market. […]

European Commission Has Legal Obligation to Block Bayer-Monsanto Merger, Says Study

A new legal study concludes that the European Commission has a legal obligation to reject the proposed Bayer-Monsanto merger, whether viewed through a narrow competition lens or a wider scope of social and environmental costs. […]

Legal Opinion Concludes that Monsanto’s Activities Impact Human Rights, Better Regulation Needed to Protect Victims

The five international judges of the ‘Monsanto Tribunal’ have presented their legal opinion and concluded that Monsanto has engaged in practices which have negatively impacted the right to a healthy environment, the right to food and the right to health […]

Bayer-Monsanto Merger: An Existential Threat to South Africa’s Food System

This paper outlines the proposed Bayer-Monsanto merger in the context of other related mega-mergers in the seed and agro-chemicals sectors, and the problems for the food system in South Africa, particularly for smallholder farmers and ag-biodiversity. […]