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

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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Insects Developing Resistance to GM Bt Crops

Immediate release (10 Nov 2011)

GM Freeze today published a review of insect resistance to Bt toxins in GM maize and Bt cotton crops around the world. It shows how, contrary to promises from GM companies, pesticide use is increasing to keep up with insects …
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Gates Foundation “Swimming Against a Tide of Informed Opinion” Gates plan spends 40% of R&D funding on risky “silver bullet” GM projects with DFID help

Immediate release (31 Oct 2011)

Gates plan spends 40% of R&D funding on risky “silver bullet” GM projects with DFID help As the world population reaches 7 billion GM Freeze says in a new report published today [1] that the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation’s …
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RR Crops to Raise the White Flag?

Immediate release (19 Oct 2011)

Superweed spreading “exponentially” in GM cotton – Monsanto tells farmers they are on their own Herbicide resistant weeds are winning the pesticide “arms race” in US Roundup Ready crops, and Monsanto has no intention of shouldering responsibility for rising weed …
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EU Imports of Canadian Flax Resumed – Legality questioned GM flax contamination persists two years on

Immediate release (17 Oct 2011)

Contamination of Canadian flax seed with the untested GM flax CDC Triffid is still being detected, yet industrial flax is again being imported into the EU. [1] The GM flax is not authorised for import anywhere in the world [2], …
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