Tag Archives: GM

GM wheat start-up secures venture capital in Perth (Australia)

 
GM wheat start-up secures venture capital in Perth (Australia)

Perth-based biotechnology company, NemGenix Pty Ltd, has secured a $500,000 investment from the Murdoch Westscheme Enterprise Partnership fund, which supports projects arising from the university.

The investment was endorsed by MWEP advisor and Perth-based venture capital fund manager Stone Ridge Ventures.

NemGenix is currently undertaking a programme to develop genetically modified wheat with work to commence on sugarcane and barley later this year.

NemGenix’s chief executive Dr Sean Hird said with climate change and a growing world population, there was now acceptance that GM crop development will play a pivotal role in increasing global food production.

“NemGenix, as Western Australia’s only GM crop development company, is well placed to take advantage of this market opportunity,” he said.

 
“We are delighted with the investment, and the endorsement of SRV. With the $320,000 grant from the Federal Government’s Department of Education, Science and Technology, announced last month, and with other funding lined-up, we are now financially secure for the next 2 years.”

Commenting on the investment, SRV stated, “we were impressed by the strength of the management team and their focussed business plan which is underpinned by world-class technology licensed from CSIRO”.

Posted 05 February 2008 † botond § GMO ‡ Comments (0) ° Also tagged: , , , , , ,

GM canola ‘contaminated’ Canadian farms

 
GM canola ‘contaminated’ Canadian farms

Canadian farmers have experienced “widespread contamination” of their crops by genetically modified (GM) canola, two visiting farmers say.

Terry Boehm, vice president of the Canadian National Farmers Union, and grain farmer Arnold Taylor are embarking on a 10-day Australian tour as both NSW and Victoria are set to relax their bans on GM food crops.

“For Canadian farmers, they have experienced widespread contamination,” Mr Boehm told reporters in Sydney.

“There are issues of liability that haven’t been addressed, producers are facing much increased costs for their seed - they are paying technology-use fees that are required in order to access the GM seeds.

“It is often quoted that in Canada, 80 to 90 per cent of the canola is GM canola. Well, farmers have had no ability to sell their crop as non-GM canola.”

 
The pair also said buffer zones, which were designed to stop the spread of GM canola across farm or regional boundaries, did not work.

“There is no organic canola grown in Canada any more, virtually none, because the seed stock is basically contaminated,” said Mr Arnold, who is also chair of the Organic Agriculture Protection Fund.

“We’ve lost that crop.”

The NSW and Victorian governments announced late last year that they would let their bans on GM engineered food crops expire early this year.

The South Australian government is also reviewing its bans.

The tour by the Canadian farmers, which is backed by Greenpeace, will also take them to Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth, as well as rural districts.

Source: The Sydney Morning Herald
February 4, 2008

Posted 05 February 2008 † botond § GMO ‡ Comments (0) ° Also tagged: , , ,