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Recent news:
Food Biotech companies growing in Canada -- at steady pace. End of 2001, there were 46 firms in the biotech industry reporting earnings of C$581 million, up 80% from 1997. By contrast, there were 197 firms in the human health field, and 31 firms in the environmnetal sector.
Brazil implements an interim regualtion that allows commercialization of Gm soybean until 1/31/04. Commercial biotech crops have been banned in Brazil since 6/02, but enforcement was always lax.
Australia's gene tech regulator has ruled GM canole poses no health or env'l risks and has approved it. Autsrailia's main farming body, the National Farmers Federation, has come off the fence and declared support for GM. Aussie lobbyists oposed to GM canola refuse to give up the fight, even though the cut-off date for public comment has passed.
Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Ag issued a decree in March '03 imposing biotech labeling requirements on all bioengineered animal feed, planting seeds, fruits, vegetables, and other Ag products.
Finally, while I don't have an article in front of me, I do know that Monsanto's overly-broad patents for GM corn and soy, which some say took advantage of the US PTO's lack of knowledge back then and essentially amount to patents on doing any GM modification to corn or soy in any way, are being challenged internationally, and the patents may become invalid in many countries.
Source: Various recent issues of Pesticide & Toxic Chemical News
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