TemasEtUnam When the World Trade Organization (WTO) dispute panel on biotech products involving Argentina, Canada, and the US vs. the European Union (EU) released its report at the end of September, I sat down to start this entry with an outline and list of possible points, thoughts, items to check on, etc. — my usual brainstorming. I downloaded the panel report and tried to wade through it, but quickly gave up (it's hundreds of pages of interesting topics made to be as bland and boring as... Read Full Story
TemasEtUnam The International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-biotech Applications (ISAAA) just released its annual "brief" on growth of genetically engineered crops ("biotech crops") worldwide, covering 2006. While the full report must be purchased, the executive summary is quite detailed and is available for download in several languages, including English, Spanish and Portuguese.
Among other things, the report for 2006 shows that seven of the top 22 biotech crop-growing countries are... Read Full Story
TemasEtUnam A few weeks back I discussed here the significance of the biotechnology dispute case at the World Trade Organization (WTO) for the nations of Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC). Well, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) just released as part of its Legal Papers Online series an analysis of that case and its significance done by a former legal consultant to FAO who is now an Economic Affairs Officer at the WTO — in other words, well placed to offer some... Read Full Story
At the end of this article I would like to say something like 'Elementary my dear Watson, the bees were taken by Professor Moriarty in the dead of night. He used this hankerchief as a Bee's Mask.". Unfortunately, I cannot provide such a Sherlock Holmes answer to this vexing question: Where have the bee's gone? FYI: Yes, this post will bee very pun-ish about bees (and their knees). Nod, nod. The case begins early this year when bee colony owners began reporting mass abandonments of... Read Full Story
I have posted recently on Europe's struggle to keep genetically engineered crops out of the the EU, but I'm not sure that I've communicated effectively the lengths that the United States and our biotechnology industry (Monsanto, Pioneer, Dupont, etc) will go to in their efforts to spread biotechnology around the world. This article (http://www.reuters.com/article/companyNewsAndPR/idUSN2941452420080129?pageNumber=2&virtualBrandChannel=0) is case in point. US trade representatives are... Read Full Story
