The Organic & Non-GMO Report Newsletter

Members of Congress attack organic, aim to block organic animal welfare rules

A Republican congressman and senator are trying to weaken organic rules by blocking the advancement of organic welfare regulations, which are supported by the organic industry. Congressman Keith Self, a Republican from Texas, offered an amendment to the House Agriculture Appropriations bill that would effectively block the U.S. Department of Agriculture from adopting critical regulations […]

Global analysis shows how pesticides leach into the environment

A University of Sydney-led study published recently in Nature has revealed the chemical odyssey pesticides embark upon after their initial agricultural application, with environmental consequences for a range of ecosystems. About three million tons of agricultural pesticides are used across the globe each year, yet little is known about where or in which environments these […]

Bayer to lose $2.8 billion on falling sales of Roundup weedkiller

Bayer Ag recently announced that it expects to lose $2.8 billion from falling sales of its glyphosate-based herbicides, including the controversial Roundup weedkiller. In the announcement, Bayer also lowered its outlook for the year and said it will set aside more than $15 billion to settle lawsuits over Roundup’s link to non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma cancer. Plaintiffs […]

Gene-edited pig meat and cell-cultured chicken approved by FDA

Very soon, cultured chicken meat will be served in big-city restaurants. CRISPR (gene-edited) pig meat developed at Washington State University (WSU) has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for human consumption as sausages. Gene-edited products are allowed on the market in the U.S., unlabeled, and do not require FDA approval. Lead WSU […]

German and Austrian agriculture ministers oppose EU proposal to deregulate gene-edited plants

While the agriculture ministers from Germany and Austria strongly dispute the deregulation of new genetic techniques (NGTs), they are unlikely to block the EU’s proposal with so many countries and government bodies in favor of it. More probable is an attempt to negotiate as a united front—to protect their organic sectors and prevent large corporations […]