Press releases

News releases and comments from GM Freeze are listed below.

For more information, images and interviews, please contact Liz O’Neill on 07811 211 404 or liz[at]gmfreeze.org

GM Wheat Outcrosses Six Times More Than Non-GM

Immediate release (3 May 2012)

Recent research has found that varieties of GM wheat are outcrossing to other plants at a rate six times higher than conventional varieties. [1] These findings, along with other data showing wheat can outcross from commercial fields to crops over …
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Food Chain Says “No Thanks!” to GM Wheat Embargoed for 11.00 hours 19 April 2012

Advanced notice (19 Apr 2012)

Photo Opportunity: 19 April 11.00 Defra Offices, Smith Square, Westminster GM Wheat? No Thanks! banner plus bakery products from across the UK Food Chain Says “No Thanks!” to GM Wheat – Natural aphid control is the future Farmers, celebrity chefs, …
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Morrisons new offer: GM-fed eggs for Easter

Immediate release (4 Apr 2012)

GM Freeze today warned shoppers that in the run-up to Easter Morrisons’ change of policy abandoning the requirement for poultry farmers to use only non-GM feed also applies to egg producers. An email from Morrisons Head of Policy David Scott …
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Rothamsted’s GM Wheat – “A step backwards for farming”

Immediate release (29 Mar 2012)

GM Freeze today responded to the announcement that Rothamsted Research has sowed its experimental crop of GM wheat, calling it “a step backwards for farming”. The wheat is genetically modified to produce a pheromone that repels aphids. GM Freeze opposes …
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Morrisons Ignores Customers, Piles Pressure on Farmers

Immediate release (26 Mar 2012)

GM Freeze today said farmers should be very wary of Morrisons’ switch to GM feed in poultry. The company’s announcement that it will now allow poultry producers to use feed for their flocks containing GM ingredients [1] could lead to …
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Danish Proposal on GM Law Reform Fails to Find Favour

Immediate release (12 Mar 2012)

Proposals from the Danish Presidency to reform the EU legislation on approving GM crops for cultivation failed to reach a qualified majority at Friday’s Environment Council first reading. [1] The Danes had previously said they wanted the proposals to go …
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Biased Questions Undermine British Science Association GM Food Poll

Immediate release (8 Mar 2012)

GM Freeze says the questions in the British Association for Science (BAS) GM opinion poll are inaccurate and fail to provide respondents with the full facts about the experimental crops. [1] The BAS questions imply that Golden Rice genetically modified …
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UK Must Reject Danish GM Reforms

Immediate release (5 Mar 2012)

GM Freeze has today asked Defra Secretary of State Caroline Spelman to reject the latest draft from the Danish Presidency proposing reform of the EU legislation on cultivating GM crops. The move claims to permit Member States to ban GM …
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Growing GM Wheat in the UK – New campaign says “No Thanks!” EMBARGOED for 00.01 hrs 1 March 2012

Embargoed (1 Mar 2012)

GM Freeze is today launching a new campaign – called “GM Wheat? No Thanks!” – to protest the Government’s approval of an open-air field trial of GM wheat at Rothamsted Research in Hertfordshire. [1] The campaign calls on individuals, farmers …
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Bravo the French – UK should support French call to ban GM maize

Immediate release (27 Feb 2012)

GM Freeze has today written to Defra urging the UK to support the new French demand for Monsanto’s MON810 GM maize to be banned in the EU. [1] The Ministry of Ecology made a formal request last week asking the …
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Food Herbicide Residues Set to Rise As Much As 150 Times Proposed new level already breached 100 times over

Immediate release (8 Feb 2012)

Monsanto has applied to increase the EU’s permitted Maximum Residue Level (MRL) for its best-selling herbicide glyphosate in lentils. Proposals before the EU would mean increasing the current legal residue level by 100-150 times. [1] The chemical is widely used …
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Losing the Battle and the War – Annual ISAAA “State of Play” report a fudge

Immediate release (7 Feb 2012)

Today’s annual International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-biotech Applications (ISAAA) report Global status of Commercialized biotech/GM Crops once again trumpets the “success” of GM farming, but this year has to peddle fast to gloss over the problems the technology …
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Monsanto Bow to French Ban on GM Maize Seed in 2012

Immediate release (25 Jan 2012)

Monsanto has announced that they will not be selling seeds for their GM maize MON810 in France [1] this year following an announcement last week that the French Government would seek to extend their ban [2] on its cultivation despite …
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France Determined to Continue GM Maize Ban

Immediate release (17 Jan 2012)

GM Freeze welcomed the confirmation from the French Government it intends to continue its ban on cultivating Monsanto’s MON810 GM. [1] ***correction 30 Jan 2012: Bulgaria also bans GM cultivation, brining the EU total to seven countries. Apologies for this …
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GM Maizes Threaten EU Water – Another reason to ban glyphosate

Immediate release (11 Jan 2012)

Spanish researchers have confirmed that the weedkiller glyphosate applied to GM crops can leach into groundwater. [1] EU Member States are due to meet with the Commission this week to discuss approving two more controversial GM crops designed to use …
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FSA: Consumers demand better GM labelling

Immediate release (9 Jan 2012)

Research sponsored by the Food Standards Agency (FSA, published today [1]) has found very strong support for comprehensive labelling on all genetically modified organisms (GMOs) in the food chain, including labels for meat, milk, eggs and fish from animals reared …
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EC Toughens Checks as China Fails to Stop GM Rice Contamination

Immediate release (19 Dec 2011)

The European Commission has revealed that four illegal GM rice traits have been found in Chinese consignments at EU ports. [1] Three years after the illegal imports of Bt63 rice were first detected in EU rice products in 2008 the …
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EFSA Admits Bt Maize Threat to Butterflies, Gives Green Light Regardless

Immediate release (13 Dec 2011)

The European Food Safety Authority GMO Panel’s new opinion on Pioneer Hybrid/Mycogen Seed’s insect resistance GM maize (known as 1507) acknowledges the crop puts non-target species at risk, including iconic butterflies, but disregards both these risks and big gaps in …
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Monsanto EU GM Maize Plans Undermined by Damning US Report Resistance in maize pest reported in four states

Immediate release (7 Dec 2011)

A review by the US Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA) [1] describes Monsanto’s insect resistance monitoring strategy for Bt maize in the US Midwest as “inadequate and likely to miss early resistance events”. It also highlights how the crop itself …
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Rothamsted’s GM Wheat “Remodel” is High Risk Option

Immediate release (22 Nov 2011)

GM Freeze today described Rothamsted Research’s proposal to attempt to increase wheat yields using GM as a “high risk and potentially costly mistake”. Rothamsted’s new five year science strategy, published last week, includes an aim to increase wheat yields to …
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