News

The News items included below were posted in the e-mail newsletter FAO-BiotechNews, which was launched by FAO in 2002 and later expanded to include the French and Spanish editions (FAO-BiotechNews-Fr and FAO-BiotechNews-Esp respectively) in 2003 and the Russian edition (FAO-BiotechNews-Ru) in 2005. The e-mail list provides Updates of news and event items that are relevant to applications of biotechnology in food and agriculture in developing countries. The items' main focus is on the activities of FAO, of other United Nations agencies/bodies and of the 15 research centres supported by the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research. To subscribe to FAO-BiotechNews, send an e-mail message to mailserv@mailserv.fao.org leaving the subject blank and entering the one-line text message as follows:
subscribe FAO-BiotechNews-L

See summary version of this webpage

2009

June

Agricultural biotechnologies in developing countries – Learning from the past

The background document to the FAO e-mail conference entitled “Learning from the past: Successes and failures with agricultural biotechnologies in developing countries over the last 20 years” is now available. The biggest part of the 16-page document provides an overview of the main kinds of agricultural biotechnologies that have been used in the crop, forestry, livestock, fishery and agro-industry sectors in developing countries in the past and that should be covered in the e-mail conference. See http://www.fao.org/biotech/C16doc.htm or contact biotech-admin@fao.org to request a copy. The moderated e-mail conference is open to everyone and runs from 8 June to 5 July 2009. It is hosted by the FAO Biotechnology Forum and is being held as part of the build up to the FAO international technical conference on Agricultural Biotechnologies in Developing Countries (ABDC-10). To join the Forum (and also register for the conference), send an e-mail to mailserv@mailserv.fao.org and enter the following text on two separate lines:

subscribe BIOTECH-L

subscribe biotech-room4

Forum members wishing to register for the conference should leave out the first line of the above message. For more information, contact biotech-mod4@fao.org.

ABDC-10 website

The FAO international technical conference on “Agricultural biotechnologies in developing countries: Options and opportunities in crops, forestry, livestock, fisheries and agro-industry to face the challenges of food insecurity and climate change” will take place in Guadalajara, Mexico on 1-4 March 2010. ABDC-10 is co-organized by FAO and the Government of Mexico. The ABDC-10 website has now been launched, providing comprehensive information about the conference, including its background, rationale, scope and objectives, expected outputs, organisation and funding, steering committee as well as the FAO documents currently being prepared for the conference. See http://www.fao.org/biotech/abdc (in Arabic, Chinese, English, French and Spanish) or contact ABDC@fao.org for more information.

Codex Committee on Food Labelling - 37th session report

The report of the 37th Session of the Codex Committee on Food Labelling, that took place on 4-8 May 2009 in Calgary, Canada, is now available. Agenda Item 6 was dedicated to "Labelling of foods and food ingredients obtained through certain techniques of genetic modification/genetic engineering" and is covered in paragraphs 88-105 of the report. See the report (ALINORM 09/32/22), together with the agenda providing links to the meeting's documents, at http://www.codexalimentarius.net/web/archives.jsp or contact codex@fao.org for further information.

Codex Committee on Methods of Analysis and Sampling - 30th session report

The report of the 30th Session of the Codex Committee on Methods of Analysis and Sampling, that took place on 9-13 March 2009 in Balatonalmadi, Hungary, is now available. Agenda Item 7 was dedicated to "Proposed draft guidelines on criteria for methods for the detection and identification of foods derived from biotechnology" and is covered in paragraphs 93-108 of the report. See the report (ALINORM 09/32/23), together with the agenda providing links to the meeting's documents, at http://www.codexalimentarius.net/web/archives.jsp or contact codex@fao.org for further information.

Biotechnology and biosafety in Belarus

FAO has just published a report entitled “The status of agricultural biotechnology and biosafety in Belarus”. The 33-page report gives a brief overview of the national situation regarding agriculture, including policy and research, and biotechnology, in particular GMOs, concerning issues such as policy, research and regulatory frameworks. See ftp://ftp.fao.org/docrep/fao/011/ak226e/ak226e00.pdf or contact karin.nichterlein@fao.org for more information.

Reports of regional consultations on plant breeding capacity

The Global Partnership Initiative for Plant Breeding Capacity Building (GIPB), FAO and partners have previously carried out a worldwide assessment of national plant breeding and related biotechnology capacity (PBBC). To analyse these results, the GIPB recently held three regional electronic discussions: for Latin America and the Caribbean, South-Eastern and Southern Asia and for Western Asia and Northern Africa. Final reports from the first two regional consultations are now available. See the documents or contact gipb@fao.org for more details. The GIPB is a global platform facilitated by FAO.

March

Socio-economic impacts of non-GM biotechnologies: Micropropagation

FAO’s Research and Extension Division has just published “Socio-economic impacts of non-transgenic biotechnologies in developing countries: The case of plant micropropagation in Africa”. The 75-page publication comprises three papers. The first, by A. Sonnino and co-authors, discusses some approaches used in impact assessment of innovations and presents a general overview of the literature about the impacts of non-transgenic biotechnologies. The second, by Z. Dhlamini and co-authors, surveys the extent of micropropagation application in Gabon, Mali, Nigeria, Uganda and Zimbabwe. The third, by P. Warren and co-authors, reports the findings of two field studies, on micropropagation of banana in Uganda and of sweetpotato in Zimbabwe, aimed at better understanding the process of adoption of micropropagated planting materials and its impacts on livelihoods. See http://www.fao.org/docrep/011/i0340e/i0340e00.htm or contact charlotte.lietaer@fao.org to request a copy, providing your full postal address.

State of the World’s Animal Genetic Resources - Translations

In September 2007, FAO released "The State of the World’s Animal Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture", a comprehensive 511-page publication drawing on 169 Country Reports and a range of other sources to provide the first global assessment of animal genetic resources and their management. It also contains many sections indirectly or directly relevant to biotechnology, such as applications of molecular markers and reproductive technologies. The publication is now also available in Chinese and French, with Arabic in the pipeline. A 37-page summary version is now also available in Arabic, Chinese, English, French, German, Japanese, Polish, Russian and Spanish, with other languages, such as Korean, Portuguese and Thai, to follow. See the full or summary versions at http://www.fao.org/docrep/010/a1250e/a1250e00.htm and http://www.fao.org/docrep/010/a1260e/a1260e00.htm respectively or contact dad-is@fao.org for more information.

Risk analysis in aquaculture

As part of its Fisheries and Aquaculture Technical Paper series, FAO's Fisheries and Aquaculture Department has just published “Understanding and applying risk analysis in aquaculture”, edited by M.G. Bondad-Reantaso, J.R. Arthur and R.P. Subasinghe. The 304-page publication is organised in two parts. Part 1 contains 12 peer-reviewed technical papers presented during an expert workshop with the same title, held on 7-11 June 2007 in Rayong, Thailand, organised by FAO and the Network of Aquaculture Centres in Asia and the Pacific (NACA). One of the 12 papers, entitled ‘Application of risk analysis to genetic issues in aquaculture’, by E. Hallerman, covers genetically modified organisms. Part 2 contains the proceedings of the workshop. See ftp://ftp.fao.org/docrep/fao/011/i0490e/i0490e.pdf (4.3 MB) or contact Melba.Reantaso@fao.org for more information.

EUFMD Standing Technical Committee meeting

The Research Group of the Standing Technical Committee of the European Commission for the Control of Foot-and-Mouth Disease (EUFMD) met in Closed and Open Sessions on 14-17 October 2008 in Erice, Italy. The meeting report as well as papers and posters from the Open Session, covering issues such as novel vaccine delivery approaches and development of new diagnostic test systems, are now available on the web. Foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) is a highly contagious viral disease of cloven-hoofed animals and the EUFMD is a regional body, established under the auspices of FAO in 1954, specialised in supporting member countries (currently 35) in the European region to prevent FMD. See the meeting website or contact keith.sumption@fao.org for more information.

FAO Desert Locust Control Committee - 39th Session

The 39th Session of the FAO Desert Locust Control Committee (DLCC) takes place on 10-13 March 2009 at FAO Headquarters, Rome. The provisional agenda contains four items on environmental management, two of which deal with use of bio-pesticides (based on the insect pathogenic fungus Metarhizium). Papers related to these items are now available on the web. The DLCC was established in 1955, meets every 2-3 years and is the primary forum that brings together locust-affected countries, donors and other agencies to advise FAO on Desert Locust management. See the meeting website or contact james.everts@fao.org for more information.

Spirulina culture, production and use

As part of its FAO Fisheries and Aquaculture Circular series, FAO has just published "A review on culture, production and use of spirulina as food for humans and feeds for domestic animals" by M.A.B. Habib, M. Parvin, T.C. Huntington and M.R. Hasan. Spirulina are multicellular, filamentous blue-green microalgae that are popular in the health food industry and increasingly as a protein and vitamin supplement to aquaculture diets. The main objective of this 33-page document is to assess and evaluate existing knowledge on the culture, production and use of spirulina for both human consumption and animal feeds. Gene manipulation of spirulina is discussed in Section 5. See ftp://ftp.fao.org/docrep/fao/011/i0424e/i0424e00.pdf or contact Mohammad.Hasan@fao.org for more information.

Codex Committee on Food Labelling – 37th Session

The 37th Session of the Codex Committee on Food Labelling takes place on 4-8 May 2009 in Calgary, Canada. Item nr. 6 on the provisional agenda is "Labelling of foods and food ingredients obtained through certain techniques of genetic modification/genetic engineering". See the meeting agenda at http://www.codexalimentarius.net/web/current.jsp (in English, French and Spanish) or contact codex@fao.org for further information.

FAO/IAEA Animal Production and Health Newsletter 49

The January 2009 newsletter from the Animal Production and Health Section of the Joint FAO/IAEA Division of Nuclear Techniques in Food and Agriculture is now available. The 35-page newsletter, issued twice a year, gives an overview of past and upcoming projects, publications and events. See http://www-naweb.iaea.org/nafa/aph/public/newsletters-aph.html or contact R.Schellander@iaea.org to subscribe to the newsletter.

Commercial risks of GM products

As part of its IFPRI Discussion Papers series, the International Food Policy Research Institute has just published "Biosafety decisions and perceived commercial risks: The role of GM-free private standards” by G. Gruere and D. Sengupta. The paper studies the interactions between importing food companies and their GM-free private standards and biotechnology decision making in developing countries. See http://www.ifpri.org/pubs/dp/IFPRIDP00847.pdf or contact ifpri@cgiar.org for more information. IFPRI Discussion Papers contain preliminary material and research results and are circulated in order to stimulate discussion and critical comment.

February

Regional consultations on plant breeding capacity

The Global Partnership Initiative for Plant Breeding Capacity Building (GIPB), FAO and partners have previously carried out a worldwide assessment of national Plant Breeding and related Biotechnology Capacity (PBBC). To analyse the results, the GIPB is holding three electronic discussions (for Latin America and the Caribbean; South-Eastern and Southern Asia; and Western Asia and Northern Africa). For each one, a background note has been prepared summarizing the key findings from countries in the region. The main objective of these regional consultations is to discuss and recommend appropriate strategies to strengthen capacity to use plant genetic resources for food and agriculture. See http://km.fao.org/gipb/ or contact gipb@fao.org for more details. The GIPB is a global platform facilitated by FAO.

Biosafety Protocol News 5

The Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity has just published the 5th issue of Biosafety Protocol News. The 15-page issue presents a series of articles describing experiences and lessons learned from eight recent biosafety capacity-building initiatives, one of which is dedicated to "Best practices and lessons learned from the FAO regional project on capacity-building in the biosafety of GM crops in Asia", by A. Sonnino. See http://www.cbd.int/doc/newsletters/bpn/bpn-03-05-en.pdf or contact bch@cbd.int for more information.

FAO/IAEA Plant Breeding and Genetics Newsletter 22

The January 2009 newsletter from the Plant Breeding and Genetics Section of the Joint FAO/IAEA Division of Nuclear Techniques in Food and Agriculture is now available. This 55-page newsletter, issued twice a year, gives an overview of their past and upcoming events (meetings, training courses etc.), ongoing projects and publications. See http://www-naweb.iaea.org/nafa/pbg/public/newsletters-pbg.html (2.4 MB) or contact k.allaf@iaea.org to request a copy.

Capacity building in basic molecular biology

A new research funding opportunity has recently been announced, aiming to create a network of research laboratories involved in the study of plant and animal pathogens that affect agricultural productivity in developing regions. It is jointly financed by the International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (ICGEB), the Academy of Sciences for the Developing World (TWAS) and the International Basic Sciences Programme of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO/IBSP). The deadline for submitting expressions of interest is 31 March 2009. See http://www.icgeb.org/icgeb-twas-unescoibsp-joint-project.html or contact bargenti@icgeb.org for more information.

January

FAO publication on water scarcity and biotechnologies

As part of its Land and Water Discussion Papers series, FAO has just published "Coping with water scarcity: What role for biotechnologies?" by J. Ruane, A. Sonnino, P. Steduto and C. Deane. The publication brings together the background paper and the summary report from a moderated e-mail conference that was organised by FAO as one of its initiatives to mark World Water Day 2007, whose theme was "Coping with water scarcity". The conference's main focus was on the use of biotechnologies to increase the efficiency of water use in agriculture, while a secondary focus was on two specific water-related applications of micro-organisms, in wastewater treatment and in inoculation of crops and forest trees with mycorrhizal fungi. See http://www.fao.org/docrep/011/i0487e/i0487e00.htm or contact charlotte.lietaer@fao.org to request a copy, providing your full postal address.

Results of e-mail conference on biotechnologies and bioenergy

The FAO moderated e-mail conference entitled "The role of agricultural biotechnologies for production of bioenergy in developing countries" ran from 10 November to 14 December 2008. Major topics of discussion included applying biotechnologies in jatropha; the potential benefits for small-scale farmers of applying biotechnologies for bioenergy production; biogas production in developing countries; and production of enzymes for efficient bioconversion of lignocellulosic biomass to liquid biofuels. Of the different biotechnologies, most attention was paid to applications of genetic modification, molecular markers and tissue culture in crops for biofuel purposes. About 430 people subscribed to the conference and 88 messages were posted by 52 people in 21 different countries. Sixty percent of messages came from people living in developing countries. The messages are available at http://www.fao.org/biotech/logs/c15logs.htm or can be requested as a single e-mail (size 135 KB) from biotech-admin@fao.org.

Codex Committee on Methods of Analysis and Sampling - 30th Session

The 30th Session of the Codex Committee on Methods of Analysis and Sampling takes place on 9-13 March 2009 in Balatonalmadi, Hungary. Item 7 on the provisional agenda is "Proposed draft guidelines on criteria for methods for the detection and identification of foods derived from biotechnology". See the meeting agenda, and eventually the meeting documents, at http://www.codexalimentarius.net/web/current.jsp (in English, French and Spanish) or contact codex@fao.org for further information.

CBD and its Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety

The Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) has just released a 91-page report on its activities on implementation of the work programme of the CBD and its Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety, covering the period from January to December 2008. In addition, on a related matter, the report on agenda item 49.f (on 'Sustainable development: Convention on Biological Diversity') from the Second Committee of the 63rd session of the UN General Assembly is now available on the web. See http://www.cbd.int/doc/reports/cbd-report-2008-en.pdf (in English) and http://www.un.org/ga/second/63/reports.shtml (in Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish) respectively or contact secretariat@cbd.int for more information.

Distance learning course on biotechnology and intellectual property

The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) Worldwide Academy is giving a distance learning advanced course on biotechnology and intellectual property (IP) from 26 March to 4 June 2009. One of the aims of the course is to enable participants to learn about definitions and concepts that are commonly used in the IP field, especially by IP professionals who work in the biotechnology field. The course covers topics such as the nature of plant breeder's rights systems and IP as a factor in research in development and it assumes that the student has general background in IP law or in biotechnology. It involves about 100 hours of study time over a period of 10 weeks and is offered in English, French, Portuguese and Spanish. Registration is open until 18 February 2009. See the course website or contact DL204e.academy@wipo.int for more information.

Aquatic animal diseases

A recent issue, 27(1), of the Scientific and Technical Review, published by the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE), focuses on 'Changing trends in managing aquatic animal disease emergencies'. The main purpose of the 16-paper issue is to provide a state-of-the-art compilation and assessment of aquatic animal disease emergency management strategies, covering policies as well as operational tools, from international to farm level. Two of the 16 papers are about biotechnology, namely "Biotechnology and DNA vaccines for aquatic animals" by G. Kurath and "Recent applications of biotechnology to novel diagnostics for aquatic animals" by A. Adams and K.D. Thompson. See the issue (in English, French and Spanish) or contact publications.dept@oie.int for more information.

Molecular markers for tropical trees

As part of its ICRAF Technical Manual series, the World Agroforestry Centre has recently published "Molecular markers for tropical trees: A practical guide to principles and procedures", by A. Muchugi and co-authors, edited by I. Dawson and R. Jamnadass. The 89-page guide describes some of the key issues that should be considered before starting molecular studies (part 1); relates the characteristics and practical procedures of different molecular methods (part 2); and describes how to handle the molecular data obtained (part 3). The guide is designed for technicians, students and other laboratory researchers interested in exploring the practical applications of molecular marker techniques for tree management as well as for managers and scientists working across disciplines who need to understand more about molecular marker research. See the guide (708 KB) or contact icrafmolecularlab@cgiar.org for more information.

2008

December

Launch of RSS feeds for FAO-BiotechNews

The FAO Working Group on Biotechnology is pleased to announce the launch of Really Simple Syndication (RSS) feeds for FAO-BiotechNews. By subscribing, users receive automatic updates to their own computer every time there are updates of FAO-BiotechNews. A total of 18 different options are available - users can choose to have RSS feeds in one or more of the six FAO languages (i.e. Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish) and can choose News, Events or both from FAO-BiotechNews. To subscribe, click on the orange RSS feed tag of interest at http://www.fao.org/biotech or see instructions at http://www.fao.org/biotech/help_rss_en.asp. For more information, contact biotech-website@fao.org.

Biotechnology, biosafety and the CGIAR

On 22-24 April 2008, a workshop was held in Los Banos, the Philippines, on "Biotechnology, biosafety and the CGIAR: Promoting best practice in science and policy", organised by the Science Council (SC) of the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR), the International Rice Research Institute and Bioversity International. It reviewed biotechnology-related work in the CGIAR and partner National Agricultural Research Systems (NARS) and focused discussion on three major issues: i) How CGIAR Centers can best work with NARS to ensure a smooth and timely delivery of research products to target farmers; ii) CGIAR's need for a Biotechnology Research Support Network, its roles and functions; and iii) How CGIAR should deal with policy issues related to biotechnology and be represented in international fora. A pre-publication version of the workshop report with a SC commentary is now available. See the document or contact haruko.okusu@fao.org for more information.

Sugarcane-based bioethanol

At the International Seminar of Biofuels in Sao Paulo, Brazil, in November 2008, a new book entitled "Sugarcane-based bioethanol: Energy for sustainable development" was launched. Co-ordinated by the Brazilian National Bank for Economic and Social Development (BNDES) and the Center for Strategic Studies and Management (CGEE) with support from the FAO Regional Office for Latin America and the Caribbean and the United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), the 300-page book aims to provide grounds for a meaningful and objective discussion on the potential and constraints of producing bioethanol from sugarcane, especially in those countries where sugarcane is already being cultivated. Chapter 5 on 'Advanced technologies in the sugarcane agroindustry' discusses applications of biotechnologies for the conversion of lignocellulosic residues to bioethanol. See http://www.bioetanoldecanadeazucar.org (in English, Spanish and Portuguese) or contact Guilherme.Schuetz@fao.org for more information.

63rd session of the UN General Assembly

The General Assembly of the United Nations (UN) opened its 63rd session on 16 September 2008 at the UN Headquarters in New York, United States. The wide range of agenda items for consideration includes item 49.f on 'Sustainable development: Convention on Biological Diversity', for which a report (nr. A/63/294, pages 20-25) was prepared by the Convention's secretariat, summarising major developments regarding the Convention, including its Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety. See the report (in Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish), plus the draft resolution, at http://www.un.org/ga/second/63/documentation.shtml or contact inquiries@un.org for more information.

OIE ad hoc groups on vaccinology and molecular diagnostics

A meeting of the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) ad hoc Group on Biotechnology was held on 26-28 August 2008 in Paris, France. This was the last meeting of the OIE ad hoc Group in its current format, and its aim was to discuss and propose terms of reference for the formation of two new ad hoc Groups to focus on diagnostics and vaccines related to new and emerging biotechnologies (the ad hoc Group on Molecular Diagnostics and the ad hoc Group on Vaccinology respectively). See the meeting report (Appendix V, pages 33-40) at http://www.oie.int/downld/SC/2008/A_BSC_sept2008.pdf (942 KB) or contact scientific.dept@oie.int for more information.

New OECD consensus documents

As part of its Series on Harmonisation of Regulatory Oversight in Biotechnology, the OECD Environment, Health and Safety Division publishes consensus documents containing information for use during the regulatory assessment of a particular product, typically on the biology of certain plant species. Four new documents have recently been published in this series, on the biology of cotton, lodgepole pine, western white pine and Douglas-fir. Similarly, as part of its Series on the Safety of Novel Foods and Feeds, the OECD Environment, Health and Safety Division also publishes consensus documents, containing information for use during the regulatory assessment of a particular food/feed product. In this series, a new consensus document on the tomato has recently been published. See the documents or contact ehscont@oecd.org for more information.

October

Bioenergy and biotechnologies

The background document for the FAO e-mail conference entitled "The role of agricultural biotechnologies for production of bioenergy in developing countries" is now available. The 22-page publication gives an overview of the current status regarding bioenergy, focusing on first- and second-generation liquid biofuels, including the reasons for the major current focus on liquid biofuels as well as current concerns about them. Some of the potential ways in which biotechnologies could contribute to bioenergy production are then assessed, covering production of biomass as well as conversion of the biomass to first- or second-generation liquid biofuels, in addition to production of biodiesel from microalgae and production of biogas. See http://www.fao.org/biotech/C15doc.htm or contact biotech-admin@fao.org to request a copy. The moderated e-mail conference is open to everyone and runs from 10 November to 7 December 2008. It is hosted by the FAO Biotechnology Forum and organised in collaboration with the FAO Working Group on Bioenergy. To join the Forum (and also register for the conference), send an e-mail to mailserv@mailserv.fao.org and enter the following text on two separate lines:

subscribe BIOTECH-L

subscribe biotech-room3

Forum members wishing to register for the conference should leave out the first line of the above message. For more information, contact biotech-mod3@fao.org.

FAO Biotechnology Glossary - Multilingual CD-ROM

Following the publication in July 2008 of the Russian version of the FAO Biotechnology Glossary, FAO has now produced a CD-ROM containing the Arabic, English, French, Spanish and Russian versions of the glossary. Also available on the web at http://www.fao.org/biotech/index_glossary.asp, the glossary is a convenient reference source for researchers, students, technicians and translators. It provides consolidated, comprehensive and accessible definitions of over 3,000 terms and acronyms that are used regularly in biotechnology, including genetic engineering, and closely allied fields. The CD-ROM is equipped with user-friendly searching facilities that allow easy cross-referencing among the five languages. To request a copy of the multilingual CD-ROM and/or the Russian glossary, contact charlotte.lietaer@fao.org providing your full postal address.

Establishing a laboratory for plant nutrient analysis

As part of its Fertilizer and Plant Nutrition Bulletin series, FAO has just published "Guide to laboratory establishment for plant nutrient analysis" by M.R. Motsara and R.N. Roy. This 204-page publication provides practical guidelines on establishing service laboratories for the analysis of soil, plants, water and fertilizers. It also dedicates a chapter to biofertilizer assay and production, discussing the bacterial cultures that serve either as a source of nitrogen, such as Rhizobium, Azotobacter and Azospirillum, or for improving the availability of soil phosphorus, such as phosphate-solubilizing microbes. It provides methods for their isolation, identification, multiplication and commercial production. See http://www.fao.org/docrep/011/i0131e/i0131e00.htm or contact clemencia.liconamanzur@fao.org for more information.

BCH online forum on capacity-building - first conference

The Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity is organising an online conference on "Capacity-building in environmental risk assessment and post-release monitoring of LMOs: Current status, priority needs and future capacity-building measures" from 3 to 14 November 2008. Organised in four sessions over 10 days, the moderated conference aims to provide an initial forum for the exchange of views, ideas and experiences regarding the priority needs and possible strategic ways and means of enhancing the capacities of developing countries and countries with economies in transition in risk assessment and post-release monitoring of living modified organisms (LMOs). The conference is open to anyone wishing to register. See http://bch.cbd.int/onlineconferences/agenda_ra_cb.shtml or contact capacitybuilding.forum@cbd.int for more information.

Compliance Committee of the Cartagena Protocol - 5th meeting

Under the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety, a Compliance Committee has been established to promote compliance, to address cases of non-compliance, and to provide advice or assistance. Documents for the fifth meeting of the Compliance Committee, to be held on 19-21 November 2008 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, are now available on the web. See http://www.cbd.int/doc/?meeting=BSCC-05 or contact secretariat@cbd.int for further information. For more details on the Compliance Committee's work, see http://www.cbd.int/biosafety/issues/compliance.shtml.

Green Customs Guide - Cartagena Protocol

Coordinated by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) Division of Technology, Industry and Economics, the Green Customs Initiative is a collaborative effort of 10 international organisations and convention secretariats concerned with the implementation or enforcement of multilateral environmental agreements (MEAs) with trade-related aspects. As part of this Initiative, the "Green customs guide to multilateral environmental agreements" has just been published. MEAs regulate the transboundary movement of a wide variety of items that customs or border control officers might encounter and this guide is intended to help them in their work. The 117-page book is organised in four chapters, where Chapter 2 provides an overview of the seven treaties covered by the Initiative, one of which is the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety. The guide is available at http://www.greencustoms.org/ or contact greencustoms@unep.fr for more information.

IFPRI Discussion Papers on GMOs

Under its IFPRI Discussion Papers series, the International Food Policy Research Institute publishes papers containing preliminary material and research results which are circulated to stimulate discussion and critical comment. Three of its recent papers deal with genetically modified organisms. Paper number 795, entitled "Publish or patent? Knowledge dissemination in agricultural biotechnology", by A. Michiels and B. Koo, analyses recent patterns of knowledge generation and dissemination in agricultural biotechnology, in particular plant breeding, by using the example of the Agrobacterium-mediated transformation method. Paper 796, entitled "Biosafety at the crossroads: An analysis of South Africa's marketing and trade policies for genetically modified products", by G.P. Gruere and D. Sengupta, analyses the current and potential future of South African trade-related policies on GM products. Paper 808, entitled "Bt cotton and farmer suicides in India: Reviewing the evidence", by G.P. Gruere, P. Mehta-Bhatt and D. Sengupta, reviews the evidence on the alleged resurgence of farmer suicides in India and the potential relationship between the adoption of Bt cotton and suicides among Indian farmers. See http://www.ifpri.org/pubs/pubs.htm#dp or contact ifpri@cgiar.org for more information.

September

Codex Alimentarius Commission - 31st session report

At the 31st session of the Codex Alimentarius Commission, held from 30 June to 4 July 2008 in Geneva, Switzerland, the Commission adopted 35 new or revised Codex standards or related texts. These include the 'Guideline for the Conduct of Food Safety Assessment of Foods Derived from Recombinant-DNA Animals' as well as two new annexes to the 'Guideline for the Conduct of Food Safety Assessment of Foods Derived from Recombinant-DNA Plants', namely 'Food Safety Assessment of Foods Derived from Recombinant-DNA Plants Modified for Nutritional or Health Benefits' and 'Food Safety Assessment in Situations of Low-level Presence of Recombinant-DNA Plant Material in Food'. In addition, the Commission approved new work for the Codex Committee on Methods of Analysis and Sampling on 'Guidelines on Criteria for Methods for the Detection and Identification of Foods Derived from Biotechnology' and agreed to dissolve the Ad hoc Task Force on Foods Derived from Biotechnology. See the report (ALINORM 08/31/REP), together with the agenda providing links to the meeting's documents, at http://www.codexalimentarius.net/web/archives.jsp?lang=en (in English, French and Spanish) or contact codex@fao.org for further information.

Biosafety in Asia-Pacific countries

A new publication entitled "Biosafety regulations of Asia-Pacific countries", by K. Gupta, J.L. Karihaloo and R.K. Khetarpal, is now available on the web. Published by FAO, the Asia-Pacific Consortium on Agricultural Biotechnology (APCoAB) and the Asia-Pacific Association of Agricultural Research Institutions (APAARI), the 108-page document lists and briefly details the regulatory instruments related to biosafety of products of biotechnology for agriculture and food existing in 39 countries of Asia and the Pacific. It contains additional chapters providing an introduction to recent developments in agricultural biotechnology in the region, issues on biosafety, and international regulatory instruments on biosafety. A brief analysis of the present status of national biosafety regulations with respect to the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety is also included. See http://www.apcoab.org/documents/bs_pub.pdf (670 KB) or contact kakoli.ghosh@fao.org for more information.

FAO/IAEA Plant Breeding and Genetics Newsletter 21

The July 2008 newsletter from the Plant Breeding and Genetics Section of the Joint FAO/IAEA Division of Nuclear Techniques in Food and Agriculture and the FAO/IAEA Agriculture and Biotechnology Laboratory is now available. This 43-page newsletter, issued twice a year, gives an overview of their past and upcoming events (meetings, training courses etc.), ongoing projects and publications. See http://www-naweb.iaea.org/nafa/pbg/public/pb-nl-21.pdf (2.6 MB) or contact k.allaf@iaea.org to request a copy.

FAO/IAEA Animal Production and Health Newsletter 48

The July 2008 newsletter from the Animal Production and Health Section of the Joint FAO/IAEA Division of Nuclear Techniques in Food and Agriculture and the FAO/IAEA Agriculture and Biotechnology Laboratory is now available. The 39-page newsletter, issued twice a year, gives an overview of past and upcoming projects, publications and events. See http://www-naweb.iaea.org/nafa/aph/public/ap-nl-48.pdf (0.8 MB) or contact R.Schellander@iaea.org to subscribe to the newsletter.

Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety - 5th Anniversary

To mark the 5th anniversary of the entry into force of the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety, on 11 September 2008, the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity released a range of outreach materials related to the anniversary, whose theme was 'The Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety: Five years of global cooperation towards sustainable development'. These include a statement from the UN Secretary General, a press release, poster and CD-ROM as well as a 5th anniversary edition of the newsletter Biosafety Protocol News. See http://www.cbd.int/biosafety/anniversary/ or contact cpb5years@cbd.int for more information.

GCP Capacity-building corner

The website of the Generation Challenge Programme (GCP) of the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) contains a 'Capacity-building corner' providing information about GCP training events, fellowship and grant opportunities, and other human resource development activities in the fields of plant genetic resources, genomics and molecular breeding. One of the corner's components, on 'learning materials', has recently been greatly expanded, so that now it contains a distant learning module for scientists covering genetic resource policies and implications on freedom to operate (developed in collaboration with Wageningen University and Research Centre); a self-study introductory online course on crop bioinformatics (a joint project between the GCP and the International Rice Research Institute); and a new learning module on genomics and comparative genomics (developed jointly by the GCP and Cornell University’s Institute for Genomic Diversity). See http://www.generationcp.org/sp5/?da=08123058 or contact c.devicente@cgiar.org for more information.

GM vegetables in Ghana

As part of its IFPRI Discussion Papers series, the International Food Policy Research Institute has just published "Insecticide use on vegetables in Ghana: Would GM seed benefit farmers?" by D. Horna and co-authors. This analysis investigates the potential for adoption of GM vegetables by examining the determinants of insecticide use and estimating the extent to which insecticide use abates damage to the crop. See http://www.ifpri.org/pubs/dp/ifpridp00785.asp or contact ifpri@cgiar.org for more information. IFPRI Discussion Papers contain preliminary material and research results and are circulated in order to stimulate discussion and critical comment.

July

FAO Biotechnology Glossary - Russian translation

The FAO Biotechnology Glossary is now available in Russian. Apart from a translation of the over 3,000 terms and definitions contained in the original English glossary, the 381-page publication also contains an additional English-Russian vocabulary of biotechnology-related terms. The glossary provides consolidated, comprehensive and accessible definitions of terms and acronyms that are used regularly in biotechnology, including genetic engineering, and closely allied fields. The initial draft was prepared by G. Camarova (State Agricultural University of Moldova, Republic of Moldova) and revised by T. Gavrilenko, I. Anisimova and O. Antonova (N.I.Vavilov Institute of Plant Industry, Russian Federation) for plant-related terminology and by O. Kuznetsova and S. Kharitonov (Russian State Agrarian University, Russian Federation) for animal-related terminology. It is available in PDF, and soon as a web-based searchable database, at http://www.fao.org/biotech/index_glossary.asp or contact karin.nichterlein@fao.org to request a copy, providing your full postal address. The book was prepared by FAO's Research and Extension Division, in collaboration with the FAO Regional Office for Europe and Central Asia. The original English version was prepared by A. Zaid, H.G. Hughes, E. Porceddu and F. Nicholas in 2001. The glossary has previously been translated into Arabic, French, Serbian, Spanish and Vietnamese and these versions can also be downloaded from the above website.

Pest free potato micropropagative material

The Secretariat of the International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC) has submitted for member consultation a number of draft International Standards for Phytosanitary Measures (ISPMs), one of which is entitled 'Pest free potato micropropagative material and minitubers for international trade'. The standard provides guidance on the production, maintenance and certification of pest free potato (Solanum spp.) micropropagative material and minitubers intended to be moved in international trade. Micropropagation is a biotechnology involving the miniaturised in vitro multiplication and/or regeneration of plant material under aseptic and controlled environmental conditions, while minitubers are tubers produced in a protected environment from potato micropropagative material. See https://www.ippc.int/id/201049?language=en (in English, French and Spanish) or contact ippc@fao.org for more information. Contracting Parties, Regional Plant Protection Organizations and relevant international organizations are invited to comment on this and other draft ISPMs through their IPPC contact point. Templates for providing comments are available from the above link and the deadline for submission of comments is 30 September 2008. The IPPC is an international treaty relating to plant health, to which 169 governments currently adhere, and its Secretariat is based at FAO Headquarters, Rome.

Biotechnology policy documents of FAO members

The annotated list of on-line biotechnology policy documents of FAO members has recently been updated. Most of the 24 entries are national policy documents, covering applications of biotechnology in food and agriculture as well as in other areas, such as pharmaceuticals and human health care. See http://www.fao.org/biotech/country.asp (available in Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish) or contact biotech-website@fao.org to provide comments.

Final reports of COP-MOP 4 and COP-9

The final reports of the 4th meeting of the Parties to the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety (COP-MOP 4), held on 12-16 May 2008 in Bonn, Germany, and of the 9th Meeting of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (COP-9), held in the same place on 19-30 May 2008, are now available. See http://www.cbd.int/mop4/doc/ (107 pages, available in all six UN languages, i.e. in Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish) and http://www.cbd.int/cop9/doc/ (246 pages, in English with other UN languages to come) respectively or contact secretariat@biodiv.org for more information.

UNIDO e-Biosafety courses

As part of a network of regional centres providing comprehensive training in biosafety established by the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), registration is now open for two e-Biosafety courses for 2008/2009. The international e-course at 'biosafety and plant biotechnology' at Ghent University (Belgium) begins tentatively on 29 September 2008 and registration is open until 31 August. The 'e-learning master in biosafety in plant biotechnology' at Marche Polytechnic University (Italy) starts tentatively on 5 November 2008 and applications are accepted between 15 July and 15 October. See http://binas.unido.org/wiki/index.php/Main_Page or contact Sylvia.Burssens@UGent.be or b.mezzetti@univpm.it respectively.

OECD bioeconomy project: Scenarios, business models, IPRs, regulation, ethics

In 2005, the International Futures Programme (IFP) of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) embarked on a project on 'The bioeconomy to 2030: Designing a policy agenda', aiming to assess "how pervasive biotechnological applications are likely to become, the prospects for further development over the next two to three decades, the potential impact on the economy and society, and the policy agenda needed to promote and diffuse this new wave of innovations in a way that is consistent with broader socioeconomic goals". The IFP has just released a number of background documents prepared within the context of the project, several of which deal directly with agricultural biotechnology. These include "Agricultural biotechnology to 2030", by A.M. Murphy, D. van Moorsel and M. Ching (22 pages, considering two different future scenarios); "Small and medium enterprises in agricultural biotechnology", by S.C. Blank (41 pages); "Intellectual property rights in agricultural and agro-food biotechnologies to 2030", by M. Trommetter (a 41-page report presenting options for intellectual property rights in agricultural biotechnologies by 2030); "An overview of regulatory tools and frameworks for modern biotechnology: A focus on agro-food", by M. Cantley (a 123-page paper aiming to give a picture of the main aspects of regulatory measures applied to modern biotechnology, and the products and services derived from it, in selected OECD and non-OECD countries); and "Biotechnology: Ethical and social debates", by N. Rigaud (an 89-page document focusing on six issues - genetically modified (GM) crops and GM food; biomass energy and biofuels; bioprospecting; GM and cloned animals and their welfare; private genetic information; and stem cell research). See the documents or contact david.sawaya@oecd.org for more information.

bEcon bibliography

The International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) has just released bEcon, a web-based bibliography including peer-reviewed applied economics literature that assesses the impacts of genetically modified (GM) crops in developing economies. The publications are organised into four main categories: the impacts of GM crops on farms, on consumers, on industries/sectors, and on international trade. For inclusion in the database, publications must focus on GM crops in non-industrialised agriculture, including at least one developing economy, and be peer-reviewed journal articles, book chapters and published conference proceedings. Technical reports, working papers and discussion papers are considered if there is some indication of peer review. The database is updated every 3 months and a CD-ROM is produced annually. See http://www.ifpri.org/pubs/becon/beconabout.asp or contact P.Zambrano@cgiar.org for more information or IFPRI-Library@cgiar.org to request CD-ROM copies of bEcon.

Ex situ conservation of plant genetic resources

A new publication, entitled "Multi-institutional distance learning course on the ex situ conservation of plant genetic resources", is now available which covers the basic concepts of plant genetic resources, germplasm acquisition, introduction, conservation, characterisation, documentation, and germplasm bank management. Funded by the Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation (CTA), this English-language version is based on the materials used in the 2004 Spanish-language distance learning course, organised by the Centro Internacional de Agricultura Tropical (CIAT), Bioversity International and the National University of Colombia, with the support of REDCAPA. See http://www.ciat.cgiar.org/ccc/course_ex_situ.htm or contact e.hesse@cgiar.org for more information.

June

Global assessment of plant breeding capacity

Since 2002, FAO and its partners have been carrying out a survey to assess national plant breeding and related biotechnology capacity worldwide. The survey is currently concluded in 62 countries and is still ongoing in 30 countries through the support of FAO and the Global Partnership Initiative for Plant Breeding Capacity Building (GIPB). The Plant Breeding and related Biotechnology Capacity assessment (PBBC) database is now available on the web, providing information from the survey in an easily searchable format. See http://km.fao.org/gipb/pbbc/ or contact elcio.guimaraes@fao.org for more information or with suggestions/comments.

Micropropagation for sugarcane seed production

A new report on "Micropropagation for quality seed production in sugarcane in Asia and the Pacific", by N.C. Jalaja, D. Neelamathi and T.V. Sreenivasan, is now available on the web. Published by FAO, the Asia–Pacific Consortium on Agricultural Biotechnology (APCoAB) and the Asia-Pacific Association of Agricultural Research Institutions (APAARI), the 46-page report gives a step-by-step protocol for the production of disease-free planting material in sugarcane using the meristem tip culture method. Field multiplication of in-vitro raised plantlets aimed at reducing the farmer-level cost of seedlings is also detailed. Success stories of sugarcane micropropagation for seed production in India, Australia and the Philippines are also described. See http://www.apcoab.org/documents/sugar_pub.pdf (2.2 MB) or contact kakoli.ghosh@fao.org for more information.

Agricultural biotechnology network - Near East and North Africa

On 15-16 December 2007, an expert consultation meeting for the establishment of a regional network for agricultural biotechnology in the Near East and North Africa was held in Cairo, Egypt. The meeting was sponsored by the Association of Agricultural Research Institutions in the Near East and North Africa (AARINENA), the Global Forum on Agricultural Research (GFAR), FAO and the International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA) and hosted by the Egypt Agricultural Research Center. At the meeting, the proposal to establish the network was adopted unanimously and decisions were taken regarding location of the network secretariat, election of officers, selection of technical working groups and a program of activities. See an overview of the meeting (568 KB) or contact i.hamdan@cgiar.org for more information.

Consultation on jatropha development

On 10-11 April 2008, the "International consultation on pro-poor Jatropha development" was held in Rome, Italy, jointly organised by the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), the United Nations Foundation, FAO and the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation. The consultation was designed to support the recently-approved research grant financed by IFAD, which, inter alia, aims to develop appropriate technologies to intensify biofuel feedstock production, study the economics of rural electrification and assess its impact on poverty. The consultation was organised in 11 sessions, one of which was dedicated to breeding, where applications of molecular markers were also discussed. Presentations from the consultation are now available on the web. See http://www.ifad.org/events/jatropha/index.htm or contact v.raswant@ifad.org for more information.

Tsetse and Trypanosomiasis Information volume 30

The latest Tsetse and Trypanosomiasis Information bulletin (volume 30, part 2) is now available on the web. Published twice a year by FAO in English and French, the bulletin contains both news and scientific abstracts aiming to collate and disseminate current information on all aspects of tsetse and trypanosomiasis research and control to institutions and individuals involved in the problems of African trypanosomiasis (a vector-borne disease affecting people and animals caused by various species of blood parasites called trypanosomes). The bulletins also include items covering biotechnology applications for disease diagnosis and in trypanosome research. See http://www.fao.org/ag/againfo/programmes/en/paat/ttiq.html or contact MariaGrazia.Solari@fao.org to subscribe.

Codex Committee on Food Labelling - 36th session report

The report of the 36th Session of the Codex Committee on Food Labelling (CCFL), that took place from 28 April to 2 May 2008 in Ottawa, Canada, is now available. Agenda Item 5, on "Labelling of foods and food ingredients obtained through certain techniques of genetic modification/genetic engineering", is covered in paragraphs 75-93 of the report. See http://www.codexalimentarius.net/web/archives.jsp?lang=en (document ALINORM 08/31/22) or contact codex@fao.org for further information.

IPPC diagnostic protocols meeting report

Five technical panels have been set up under the International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC). One of these, the Technical Panel on Diagnostic Protocols (TPDP), produces diagnostic protocols for specific pests, often involving use of morphological and molecular/biochemical diagnostic techniques. The report of the TPDP meeting held on 24-28 September 2007 in Buenos Aires, Argentina is now available. See https://www.ippc.int/id/59235?language=en or contact ippc@fao.org for more information. The IPPC is an international treaty relating to plant health, to which 169 governments currently adhere, and its Secretariat is based at FAO Headquarters, Rome.

Aarhus Convention - GMOs workshop

On 19-20 May 2008, an international workshop on "Good practices regarding access to information, public participation and access to justice with respect to GMOs" was held in Cologne, Germany, with a particular focus on the needs and challenges facing countries in transition (especially those from Eastern Europe, the Caucasus and Central Asia) and developing countries. It was held under the auspices of the Aarhus Convention (i.e. the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) Convention on Access to Information, Public Participation in Decision-making and Access to Justice in Environmental Matters). See the workshop documents (in English, some also in French and Russian) at http://www.unece.org/env/pp/gmo.htm#gmoworkshop or contact public.participation@unece.org for more information.

Advance version of COP-MOP 4 report (Cartagena Protocol)

An advance version of the report of the 4th meeting of the Parties to the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety (COP-MOP 4), that took place on 12-16 May 2008 in Bonn, Germany, is now available on the web. This 105-page document is subject to final clearance. See the report or contact secretariat@cbd.int for more information. Documents, press releases and webcasts from the meeting are also available at http://www.cbd.int/mop4/.

Assessment of internationally funded biosafety and biotechnology training

The United Nations University's Institute of Advanced Studies (UNU-IAS) has recently published "Internationally funded training in biosafety and biotechnology – Is it bridging the biotech divide", by S. Johnston, C. Monagle, J. Green and R. Mackenzie. The 233-page report marks the conclusion of a global assessment, undertaken by UNU-IAS from 2004 to 2007, aiming to provide a neutral, independent and objective assessment of the various internationally funded training programmes for biosafety and biotechnology, especially to the extent that it is necessary for biosafety, in the developing world. See http://www.ias.unu.edu/sub_page.aspx?catID=111&ddlID=673 or contact johnston@ias.unu.edu for further information or to request a printed copy of the report.

OIE ad hoc Group on Biotechnology - 4th meeting report

The 4th meeting of the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) ad hoc Group on Biotechnology was held on 28-30 November 2007 in Paris, France. The ad hoc Group discussed a range of issues, including position papers prepared on RNA-based biotechnologies and on nanotechnologies; the follow-up to an international symposium on animal genomics for animal health; and timetables for preparation of background papers on topics such as RNA-based technologies for the treatment and control of animal diseases or transgenic animal technology for livestock. See http://www.oie.int/downld/SC/2008/A_BSC_Jan2008.pdf (report included as Appendix III, pages 13-26, 619 KB) or contact scientific.dept@oie.int for more information.

OIE Scientific and Technical Review issue 26(3)

All 21 articles from the December 2007 issue of the OIE Scientific and Technical Review are now available on the web. Submitted by experts from around the world, they describe different animal disease surveillance strategies and the control and elimination of important animal diseases. The organisation of veterinary services is also discussed, as are diagnosis and vaccines. See the issue or contact publications.dept@oie.int for more information. The Scientific and Technical Review is a peer-reviewed journal published by the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) three times a year which contains in-depth studies devoted to current scientific and technical developments in animal health and veterinary public health world-wide.

OECD Biotechnology Update 19

Issue number 19 (April 2008) of the OECD Biotechnology Update is now available. Presented by OECD's Internal Co-ordination Group for Biotechnology, the 25-page newsletter aims to provide updated information on activities at the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development related to biotechnology. See http://www.oecd.org/dataoecd/33/1/40628456.pdf (382 KB) or contact icgb@oecd.org for more information.

Plant breeding capacity - Cameroon, Kenya, the Philippines and Venezuela

As part of its IFPRI Discussion Papers series, the International Food Policy Research Institute has just published "Plant genetic resources for agriculture, plant breeding, and biotechnology: Experiences from Cameroon, Kenya, the Philippines, and Venezuela" by J. Falck-Zepeda and co-authors. Using data from a global survey that FAO and its partners have been carrying out on national plant breeding and related biotechnology capacity, the 48-page study examines investments in human and financial resources and the distribution of resources among the different programs, as well as the capacity and policy development for agricultural research in the four selected countries. See http://www.ifpri.org/pubs/dp/ifpridp00762.asp or contact ifpri@cgiar.org for more information.

GM bananas in Uganda

In another paper in its IFPRI Discussion Papers series, the International Food Policy Research Institute has just published "Introducing a genetically modified banana in Uganda: Social benefits, costs, and consumer perceptions" by E. Kikulwe, J. Wesseler and J. Falck-Zepeda. The purpose of this 29-page paper is to examine potential social welfare impacts of adopting GM bananas in Uganda. See http://www.ifpri.org/pubs/dp/ifpridp00767.asp or contact ifpri@cgiar.org for more information. IFPRI Discussion Papers contain preliminary material and research results and are circulated in order to stimulate discussion and critical comment.

Quality Protein Maize manual

The International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) has just published "Breeding Quality Protein Maize (QPM): Protocols for developing QPM cultivars" by B.S. Vivek and co-authors. The 50-page manual is intended for maize breeders who would like to start developing QPM cultivars. It is a compilation and consolidation of several breeding protocols successfully used at CIMMYT over two decades of QPM development and breeding. A brief background and the basic theory of QPM genetics are explained, leading up to detailed methods and procedures of QPM development. A chapter is dedicated to marker-assisted selection. QPM grain contains enhanced levels of the essential amino acids lysine and tryptophan, along with other characteristics that make more of its protein useful to humans or farm animals. See the manual (1.7 MB) or contact lvillasenor@cgiar.org for more information.

May

International Assessment of Agricultural Science and Technology for Development

In 2002, the World Bank and FAO initiated a global consultative process to determine whether an international assessment of agricultural knowledge, science and technology was needed. These initial consultations resulted in the International Assessment of Agricultural Science and Technology for Development (IAASTD), an inter-governmental process with a multi-stakeholder Bureau co-sponsored by FAO, the Global Environment Facility (GEF), United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), the World Bank and World Health Organization (WHO). The Bureau comprised 30 government and 30 civil society representatives (NGOs, producer and consumer groups, private sector entities and international organizations). The IAASTD brought together around 400 scientists from around the globe to produce a global assessment and five sub-global assessments reports (for Central and West Asia and North Africa [CWANA], East and South Asia and the Pacific [ESAP], Latin America and the Caribbean [LAC], North America and Europe [NAE] and sub-Saharan Africa [SSA]). At its final plenary session, held on 7-12 April 2008 in Johannesburg, South Africa, the IAASTD reports were launched and governments approved (a small number not fully) the Global Summary for Decision Makers (based on the global assessment); the five sub-Global Summaries for Decision Makers (one each for the sub-global assessments); and the Executive Summary of the Synthesis Report. The Synthesis Report integrates the key findings from the global and sub-global assessments, and focuses on eight topics: bioenergy; biotechnology; climate change; human health; natural resource management; traditional knowledge and community based innovation; trade and markets; and women in agriculture. See http://www.agassessment.org/ or contact bmcintyre@worldbank.org for more information.

Bioenergy and biotechnology

On 12 October 2007, FAO organised a seminar on "The role of agricultural biotechnologies for production of bioenergy in developing countries" in Rome, Italy. Papers from invited speakers are now available on the web. The first covers issues such as the current global situation regarding biofuels; the potential impacts of genetic modification; trade implications; biofuels certification; and product differentiation under the World Trade Organization (by S. Zarrilli). The second focuses on technical issues and options for the use of genomics for production of lignocellulosic biomass and its conversion to biofuel (G.A. Tuskan). The third describes some of the biochemical aspects behind breakdown of lignocellulosic biomass to bioethanol; the importance of cellulases; as well as giving some of the history of Brazilian research in this area (E.P.S. Bon and M.A. Ferrara). See http://www.fao.org/biotech/seminaroct2007.htm or contact biotech-website@fao.org for more information.

FAO Biosecurity Toolkit

Biosecurity is a strategic and integrated approach to analysing and managing relevant risks to human, animal and plant life and health, and associated risks to the environment. It covers food safety, zoonoses, the introduction of animal and plant diseases and pests, the introduction and release of living modified organisms (LMOs) and their products, and the introduction and management of invasive alien species. The "FAO Biosecurity Toolkit" has now been published, providing practical guidance and support to develop and implement national biosecurity frameworks at the country level. The toolkit comprises three parts: biosecurity principles and components; a guide to assess biosecurity capacity; and an overview and framework manual for biosecurity risk analysis. See http://www.fao.org/docrep/010/a1140e/a1140e00.htm (in English, French and Spanish) or contact biosecurity@fao.org for more information.

Biotechnology and genetic resources

On 22 February 2008, the FAO Working Group on Biotechnology organised a side event to the 13th meeting of the Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical and Technological Advice (SBSTTA), entitled "Biotechnology as a toolbox to study and monitor agricultural genetic resources". Summaries and presentations from the event are now available on the web, covering the application of molecular markers to conservation biology of fishes or to monitoring adaptation and migration of forest tree species, as well as FAO’s work in the field of biotechnology. See http://www.fao.org/biotech/seminarsbstta.htm or contact biotech-website@fao.org for more information.

Codex Committee on Methods of Analysis and Sampling - 29th session report

The report of the 29th Session of the Codex Committee on Methods of Analysis and Sampling, that took place on 10-14 March 2008 in Budapest, Hungary, is now available. Agenda Item 6, on "Criteria for the methods for the detection and identification of foods derived from biotechnology", is covered in paragraphs 87-93 of the report. See document ALINORM 08/31/23, as well as the meeting agenda, at http://www.codexalimentarius.net/web/archives.jsp or contact codex@fao.org for further information.

Use of PCR in detection of trypanosomes

The Animal Production and Health Section of the Joint FAO/IAEA Division in Vienna, Austria has recently published "Developing methodologies for the use of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) in the diagnosis and monitoring of trypanosomosis". Trypanosomiasis is a vector-borne disease affecting people and animals caused by various species of blood parasites called trypanosomes. This 287-page book presents the final results from a Coordinated Research Project, lasting from 2001 to 2005, initiated to try and improve the diagnosis of trypanosomoses using molecular based methods. See the publication (4.1 MB) or contact aph-webcontact@iaea.org for more information.

Patent landscaping in the life sciences

On 7-8 April 2008, a symposium on "Public policy patent landscaping in the life sciences" was held in Geneva, Switzerland, organized by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) in cooperation with FAO. Patent landscapes provide information on "what is actually patented, where and by whom". The event focused on how to develop improved information products that meet the needs of policymakers in the life sciences to strengthen the factual background for policy discussions. It took place in the context of a cooperation program between FAO and WIPO on patent landscaping for policy makers and included, among others, a session dealing with patent landscapes on gene promoters for rice, maize, potato and soybean and the patent landscape of the rice genome. While there were no formal outcomes from this exploratory symposium, it identified possible future areas of cooperation that would see closer integration between patent information tools and the ongoing needs of policymakers concerned with plant genetic resources. See the website (agenda and some presentations) or contact publicinf@wipo.int for more information.

NERICA compendium

The Africa Rice Center (WARDA), FAO and the Sasakawa Africa Association have just published "NERICA: the New Rice for Africa – a Compendium", edited by E.A. Somado, R.G. Guei and S.O. Keya. The 210-page document brings together the results of scientific research on NERICA rice varieties, ranging from the choice of land to planting, integrated crop and pest management, harvest and post-harvest operations, agro-processing technologies and nutritional quality, and adoption impact on rice farmers' livelihoods. It is split into 17 modules, one of which is dedicated to molecular characterisation of NERICA lines. NERICA rice varieties are derived from the crossing of two species of cultivated rice, the African rice and the Asian rice, using embryo rescue and anther culture techniques, combining the high yields from the Asian rice with the ability of the African rice to thrive in harsh environments. See http://www.warda.org/warda/techreport.asp or contact Gouantoueu.Guei@fao.org for more information.

Sustainable utilisation of animal genetic resources

On 2-4 July 2006, an expert meeting on "Sustainable utilization of animal genetic resources" was held in Ferentillo, Italy, jointly organized by FAO and the World Association for Animal Production. It outlined guiding principles for sustainable utilisation of animal genetic resources (AnGR) and key strategies for achieving this objective. The report of the meeting, edited by D. Weary, D. Pilling and B. Rischkowsky, has now been published, containing e.g. a paper on the implications of health regulations on sustainable use of AnGR, covering advances in reproductive biotechnologies. See http://dad.fao.org/cgi-bin/getblob.cgi?sid=-1,297 or contact dad-is@fao.org for more information.

Cartagena Protocol: COP-MOP 4 documents

The 4th meeting of the Parties to the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety (COP-MOP 4) took place on 12-16 May 2008 in Bonn, Germany, back-to-back with the 9th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity, on 19-30 May. The meeting addressed a number of standing issues on the COP-MOP agenda (i.e. compliance; operation and activities of the Biosafety Clearing-House; capacity building; financial mechanisms and resources; cooperation with other organizations, conventions and initiatives; and administration and budgetary matters). It also addressed a number of substantive issues arising from the medium-term programme of work and previous COP-MOP decisions (i.e. handling, transport, packaging and identification of living modified organisms; risk assessment and risk management; liability and redress; subsidiary bodies; monitoring and reporting; assessment and review; socio-economic considerations; public awareness and participation; and notification requirements). See http://www.cbd.int/mop4/ for background and access to official documents (in Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish) and information documents (in English) or contact secretariat@cbd.int for more information.

Biotechnology and intellectual property - Distance learning course

The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) Worldwide Academy is offering a distance learning advanced course on biotechnology and intellectual property (IP). One of the aims of the course is to enable participants to learn about definitions and concepts that are commonly used in the IP field, especially by IP professionals who work in the biotechnology field. The course covers topics such as the nature of plant breeder's rights systems and IP as a factor in research in development. It involves about 100 hours of study time over a period of 10 weeks and is offered twice a year, initially in English, French and Spanish. See the website or contact DL204e.academy@wipo.int for more information.

Regional regulation of GMOs

As part of its IFPRI Discussion Papers series, the International Food Policy Research Institute has just published "Regional biotechnology regulations: Design options and implications for good governance" by R. Birner and N. Linacre. In this paper the authors develop a conceptual framework that identifies key factors for consideration when designing a regional system for regulation of genetically modified organisms. The case of West Africa is used to illustrate the framework, and reference is made to the European Union for comparison purposes. See http://www.ifpri.org/pubs/dp/ifpridp00753.asp or contact ifpri@cgiar.org for more information.

February

FAO e-conference on biotechnologies and water scarcity - Summary document

The summary document of the FAO e-mail conference entitled "Coping with water scarcity in developing countries: What role for agricultural biotechnologies?" has now been published. It provides a summary of the main issues discussed during this moderated e-mail conference, hosted by the FAO Biotechnology Forum from 5 March to 1 April 2007, based on the messages posted by the participants, 75% of which came from people in developing countries. The major topics discussed were the application of biotechnologies (mainly genetic modification and marker-assisted selection) to develop crops with improved drought resistance or water use efficiency; the use of bacteria and mycorrhizal fungi in water-limited conditions; and the use of biotechnology in wastewater treatment. See http://www.fao.org/biotech/logs/C14/summary.htm or contact biotech-admin@fao.org to request a copy.

FAO Biotechnology website - updates

The annotated list of on-line documents has been updated, so it now includes 180 web links to a wide range of articles, books, meeting reports, proceedings and studies published by FAO, or prepared in collaboration with FAO, over the last 10 years concerning biotechnology in food and agriculture. In addition, the FAO newsroom has just released a news story (in Russian) about the recent launch of the Russian version of the FAO biotechnology website. See http://www.fao.org/biotech/doc.asp and http://www.fao.org/newsroom/ru/news/2008/1000785/index.html respectively or contact biotech-website@fao.org with questions or comments.

Codex Committee on Food Labelling - 36th Session

The 36th Session of the Codex Committee on Food Labelling (CCFL) takes place from 28 April to 2 May 2008 in Ottawa, Canada. Item nr. 5 on the provisional agenda is "Labelling of foods and food ingredients obtained through certain techniques of genetic modification/genetic engineering". See the meeting agenda at http://www.codexalimentarius.net/web/current.jsp (in English, French and Spanish); some background to the CCFL's work on labelling of GM foods at http://www.fao.org/ag/agn/agns/biotechnology_labelling_en.asp (in English, French and Spanish) or contact codex@fao.org for further information.

Freshwater fish seed resources for sustainable aquaculture

As part of its Fisheries Technical Paper series, FAO's Fisheries and Aquaculture Department has just published "Assessment of freshwater fish seed resources for sustainable aquaculture", edited by M.G. Bondad-Reantaso. The 628-page publication is organised in two parts. Part 1 contains the proceedings and major recommendations of an expert workshop held on 23-26 March 2006 in Wuxi, China with 3 major themes: key issues concerning (i) seed quality, genetics, technology and certification; (ii) seed networking, distribution, entrepreneurship and certification; and (iii) development of the freshwater fish seed production sector that will benefit rural fish farmers. Part 2 contains 3 regional syntheses; 21 country case studies; 5 thematic reviews and 3 contributed papers on freshwater fish seed resources for sustainable aquaculture. One of the thematic reviews, by G.C. Mair and entitled "Genetics and breeding in seed supply for inland aquaculture", covers the application of genetic technologies in aquaculture. See ftp://ftp.fao.org/docrep/fao/010/a1495e/a1495e00.pdf or contact Melba.Reantaso@fao.org for more information.

FAO/IAEA Animal Production and Health Newsletter 47

The December 2007 newsletter from the Animal Production and Health Section of the Joint FAO/IAEA Division of Nuclear Techniques in Food and Agriculture and the FAO/IAEA Agriculture and Biotechnology Laboratory is now available. The 27-page newsletter, issued twice a year, gives an overview of past and upcoming projects, publications and events. The editorial highlights their activities related to small ruminant reproduction and breeding. See http://www-naweb.iaea.org/nafa/aph/public/ap-nl-47.pdf (703 KB) or contact R.Schellander@iaea.org to subscribe to the newsletter.

FAO/IAEA Plant Breeding and Genetics Newsletter 20

The January 2008 newsletter from the Plant Breeding and Genetics Section of the Joint FAO/IAEA Division of Nuclear Techniques in Food and Agriculture and the FAO/IAEA Agriculture and Biotechnology Laboratory is now available. This 43-page newsletter, issued twice a year, gives an overview of their past and upcoming events (meetings, training courses etc.), ongoing projects and publications. See http://www-naweb.iaea.org/nafa/pbg/public/pb-nl-20.pdf (1.2 MB) or contact k.allaf@iaea.org to request a copy.

Compliance Committee under the Cartagena Protocol - 4th meeting report

The report is now available of the 4th meeting of the Compliance Committee under the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety, which took place on 21-23 November 2007 in Montreal, Canada. See the 8-page report, together with the other meeting documents, at http://www.cbd.int/doc/?mtg=bscc-04. See more about the Compliance Committee at http://www.cbd.int/biosafety/issues/compliance.shtml or contact secretariat@cbd.int for further information.

Biosafety Protocol News - 3rd issue

The Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity has just published the 3rd issue of its Biosafety Protocol News. This 14-page issue focuses on experiences and lessons learned in the implementation of the identification and documentation requirements in the context of paragraph 2 of Article 18 of the Protocol. See http://www.cbd.int/doc/newsletters/bpn/bpn-02-03-en.pdf (1 MB) or contact bch@cbd.int for more information.

Trade-related measures of the Cartagena Protocol

The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) has recently published "Trade-related measures and Multilateral Environmental Agreements", prepared for UNEP by the Center for International Environmental Law. The 31-page paper aims to contribute to ongoing negotiations at the World Trade Organization (WTO) by analyzing Multilateral Environmental Agreement (MEA) trade-related measures in the context of the overall objective of the MEAs. It provides a detailed review of the main provisions and specific trade-related measures found in six MEAs, including the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety. See the paper (371 KB) or contact benjamin.simmons@unep.ch for more information.

Proceedings of plant breeding symposium - Mexico 2006

On 20-25 August 2006, the International Plant Breeding Symposium was held in Mexico City, Mexico, organised, among others, by the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT). Twenty-two of the 28 papers presented at the symposium have now been published as a special supplement to the journal Crop Science, freely available on the web. One of the papers is entitled "Assessment of the national plant breeding and associated biotechnology capacity around the world", by E.P. Guimaraes and co-authors from FAO. See http://crop.scijournals.org/content/vol47/Supplement_3/ or contact elcio.guimaraes@fao.org for more information.

GM food and international trade

As part of its IFPRI Discussion Papers series, the International Food Policy Research Institute has just published "Genetically modified food and international trade: The case of India, Bangladesh, Indonesia, and the Philippines" by G. Gruere, A. Bouet and S. Mevel. The aim of this 48-page paper is to study the potential effects of introducing GM food crops in these four countries in the presence of trade-related regulations of GM food in major importers. See http://www.ifpri.org/pubs/dp/ifpridp00740.asp or contact ifpri@cgiar.org for more information. IFPRI Discussion Papers contain preliminary material and research results and are circulated in order to stimulate discussion and critical comment.

GCP fellowships 2008

Every year, the Generation Challenge Programme (GCP) of the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) offers a number of fellowships to developing country crop science researchers wishing to broaden their skills by conducting research outside their home countries/institutions. Applications for 2008 fellowships are now open, under six different themes (including 'the use of relatedness information in linkage disequilibrium mapping: pedigree information versus molecular marker information' and 'marker-based estimation of coancestry measures in genebank collections'). Deadline is 29 February. See http://www.generationcp.org/latestnews.php?i=967 or contact l.ruiz@cigar.org for more information.

2007

December

Biotechnologies for plant conservation and use - A school play

FAO's Plant Production and Protection Division has just published "Biotechnology tools for conservation and use of plants: A school play for senior students", with the story line, script and graphic design by R. Speedy and character illustration by I. Steele and R. Speedy. The 144-page play, for high school students aged 15 to 16 years, tells the story of maintenance and use of cassava. Through it, the play introduces students to the main concepts in plant genetic resources and the various biotechnology tools (such as tissue culture, micropropagation, cryopreservation and marker-assisted selection) used for their conservation and for crop production and long term food security. See http://www.fao.org/docrep/010/ai212e/ai212e00.htm or contact kakoli.ghosh@fao.org to request a copy.

Biosafety within a biosecurity framework - Consultation report

From 28 February to 3 March 2006, FAO organised an expert consultation on "Biosafety within a biosecurity framework: Contributing to sustainable agriculture and food production" in FAO Headquarters, Rome. Its main purposes were to a) identify and analyse potential safety issues associated with current and future applications of new biotechnologies in various sectors relevant for sustainable agriculture and food production and b) develop recommendations for FAO to appropriately address these, in particular regarding optimal risk analysis approaches. Prior to the consultation, a background paper entitled "FAO’s role in biosafety within a biosecurity framework: Scope and relevance of 'biosafety' as a contribution to sustainable agriculture and food production" was made available to participants. The report of the consultation, which includes the background paper, is now available on the web. See the report or contact food-quality@fao.org for more information.

Edouard Saouma Award 2006-2007

At the biennial FAO Conference, the Edouard Saouma Award is given to a national or regional institution which, in the course of the biennium preceding the Conference, has implemented with particular efficiency a project funded by the Technical Cooperation Programme (TCP), one of the main instruments through which FAO provides technical assistance directly to its Member countries. On 17 November 2007, the opening day of the 34th Session of the FAO Conference, the Edouard Saouma Award 2006-2007 was given by the FAO Director-General Jacques Diouf to Argentina’s Secretariat for Agriculture, Food, Fisheries and Livestock (SAGPyA) for its work on the TCP project to evaluate post-harvest management of Living Modified Organisms and identification of strategies for implementation of Article 18.2a of the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety. See a summary of the project (Document C 2007/INF/8, in Arabic, Chinese, English, French and Spanish) or contact nuria.urquia@fao.org for more information.

Global Plan of Action for Animal Genetic Resources

Adopted by 109 country delegations at the International Technical Conference on Animal Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture, held in Interlaken, Switzerland on 3-7 September 2007, the Global Plan of Action for Animal Genetic Resources and the Interlaken Declaration on Animal Genetic Resources, which recognizes the need for prompt action to ensure these resources are well managed and address their erosion, are now both available on the web, in a single publication. The Global Plan of Action includes 23 Strategic Priorities that are grouped into 4 areas: characterization, inventory and monitoring of trends and associated risks; sustainable use and development; conservation; and policies, institutions and capacity-building. For each Strategic Priority, specific Actions are proposed and some of them are directly or indirectly related to applications of agricultural biotechnology, such as to "develop technical standards and protocols for phenotypic and molecular characterization" and to "establish or strengthen national and regional facilities for ex situ conservation, in particular cryogenic storage". See the publication (in Arabic, Chinese, English, French and Spanish and with Russian forthcoming) or contact dad-is@fao.org to request a copy. In November 2007, the FAO Conference also adopted a resolution endorsing the Global Plan and the Interlaken Declaration.

REDBIO 2007 news stories

On 22-26 October 2007, the VI Latin American and Caribbean Congress of Agricultural Biotechnology (REDBIO 2007) was held in Vina del Mar, Chile. A number of news stories from this meeting are now available on the REDBIO website, including one based on the presentation by Elcio Guimaraes of an FAO study on the global situation regarding national plant breeding and biotechnology capacities as well as one on the Vina del Mar declaration, read and approved by the participants at the congress. See http://www.redbio.org/ or contact juan.izquierdo@fao.org for more information. REDBIO is the Technical Co-operation Network on Plant Biotechnology in Latin America and the Caribbean, based at the FAO Regional Office for Latin America and the Caribbean in Santiago, Chile.

Comprehensive Assessment of Water Management in Agriculture

"Water for Food, Water for Life: A Comprehensive Assessment of Water Management in Agriculture", a 664-page book edited by D. Molden and published by Earthscan and the International Water Management Institute (IWMI) in early 2007, is now available on the web. The Comprehensive Assessment of Water Management in Agriculture (CA) is a critical evaluation of the benefits, costs and impacts of the past 50 years of water development, the water management challenges communities face today, and the solutions people have developed around the world, and uses scenarios to explore the consequences of a range of potential investments. Its scope is water management in agriculture, including fisheries and livestock, and the full spectrum of crop production. It aims to inform investors and policymakers about water and food choices in light of such crucial influences as poverty, ecosystems, governance and productivity. Some of the book's 16 chapters consider the role of biotechnologies, such as chapter 7 on 'Pathways for increasing agricultural water productivity' and chapter 14 on 'Rice: feeding the billions'. See http://www.iwmi.cgiar.org/assessment/Publications/books.htm or contact comp.assessment@cgiar.org or jeanmarc.faures@fao.org for more information. The CA is co-sponsored by FAO, the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR), the Convention on Biological Diversity and the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands and organised through the CGIAR’s Systemwide Initiative on Water Management, convened by IWMI, which initiated the process and provided a secretariat to facilitate the work.

Codex Committee on Methods of Analysis and Sampling - 29th Session

The 29th Session of the Codex Committee on Methods of Analysis and Sampling takes place on 10-14 March 2008 in Budapest, Hungary. Item 6 on the provisional agenda is "Criteria for the methods for the detection and identification of foods derived from biotechnology". See the meeting agenda, and eventually the meeting documents, at http://www.codexalimentarius.net/web/current.jsp (in English, French and Spanish) or contact codex@fao.org for further information.

Cartagena Protocol: COP-MOP/4

The 4th meeting of the Parties to the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety (COP-MOP/4) takes place on 12-16 May 2008 in Bonn, Germany, back-to-back with the 9th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity which takes place on 19-30 May. The first official documents from COP-MOP/4 are now available on the web, including an 18-page annotated provisional agenda. See http://www.cbd.int/doc/meeting.aspx?mtg=MOP-04 or contact secretariat@cbd.int for more information.

Cartagena Protocol: Liability and redress

The 4th meeting of the ad hoc Open-ended Working Group of Legal and Technical Experts on Liability and Redress in the Context of the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety was held on 22-26 October 2007 in Montreal, Canada. The 63-page meeting report is now available. See the report, plus meeting documents, at http://www.cbd.int/doc/meeting.aspx?mtg=BSWGLR-04 (in Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish) or contact secretariat@cbd.int for more information.

November

Launch of the FAO Biotechnology website in Russian

The FAO Biotechnology website was originally launched in 2000 in the English language and expanded in 2001 to include Arabic, Chinese, French and Spanish. In collaboration with its Regional Office for Europe and Central Asia, FAO has now launched the Russian version of the website, which includes updated information on FAO’s work and international developments regarding agricultural biotechnologies and their products, as well as on related policy and regulatory issues surrounding research and application of agricultural biotechnologies. See http://www.fao.org/biotech/index.asp?lang=ru or contact biotech-website@fao.org for more information or with comments.

Launch of FAO-BiotechNews-Ar

The FAO Working Group on Biotechnology has just launched FAO-BiotechNews-Ar, an e-mail newsletter providing updates of news and event items in Arabic that are relevant to applications of biotechnology in food and agriculture in developing countries. It is the Arabic version of the English-language newsletter FAO-BiotechNews. The main focus of its news and event items is on the activities of FAO, of other United Nations (UN) agencies/bodies and of the 15 research centres supported by the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR), in addition to activities of a few major non-UN inter-governmental organizations. See more details about FAO-BiotechNews-Ar at http://www.fao.org/biotech/welar.pdf (in Arabic). To subscribe, send an e-mail to mailserv@mailserv.fao.org with the subject blank and the following one-line text message:

subscribe FAO-BiotechNews-Ar-L

FAO Director-General's speech at M.S. Swaminathan Research Foundation

On 7 August 2007, the FAO Director-General Jacques Diouf delivered the Foundation Day Lecture on 'A world without hunger' at the M.S. Swaminathan Foundation Conference in Chennai, India. In addition to issues such as transboundary pests and diseases, climate change, bioenergy and the right to food, he also addressed the role of agricultural biotechnologies. See the speech, the FAO news release (in Arabic, Chinese, English, French and Spanish) or contact FAO-Newsroom@fao.org for more information.

International Year of the Potato 2008

The United Nations General Assembly has declared 2008 as the International Year of the Potato (IYP) and FAO is leading its implementation. The IYP website has now been launched, providing a wealth of information about the IYP and its related events, as well as about the potato, including a series of factsheets compiled by FAO specialists on key issues in potato development. One of the factsheets is dedicated to the potato and biotechnology. See http://www.potato2008.org/en/potato/factsheets.html (in Arabic, Chinese, English, French and Spanish) or contact potato2008@fao.org for more information.

Fighting the cassava mosaic disease

A recent FAO news story is dedicated to the spread of the cassava mosaic disease (CMD) and the efforts made to develop disease-free cassava in the Great Lakes region of Africa. It also provides a link to a video made about an FAO project, funded by the European Commission’s Humanitarian Aid department, involving the use of micropropagation for the rapid multiplication and distribution of CMD-free planting materials. See the news story (in English, French and Spanish) or contact NeBambi.Lutaladio@fao.org for more information.

Bioenergy and agricultural biotechnologies

On 12 October 2007, a half-day seminar on "The role of agricultural biotechnologies for production of bioenergy in developing countries" was held at FAO Headquarters, Rome, jointly organised by the FAO Working Group on Biotechnology and the FAO Working Group on Bioenergy, with the support of the US mission. Presentations from the meeting are now available on the web, covering topics such as global perspectives on production of biotechnology-based bioenergy; genomics and bioenergy; and bioethanol production via enzymatic hydrolysis of cellulosic biomass. See http://www.fao.org/biotech/seminaroct2007.htm or contact biotech-website@fao.org for more information.

Plant Genetic Resources Newsletter

Issue 150 (June 2007) of the Plant Genetic Resources Newsletter is now available on the web, including e.g. an article about the use of molecular markers to analyse the genetic diversity and relationships among sweet potato landraces in China. The newsletter is a peer-reviewed journal published 4 times a year by Bioversity International and FAO that features articles in English, French or Spanish on plant genetic resources research. See the newsletter or contact bioversity-publications@cgiar.org to obtain copies or to be placed on the mailing list.

Codex Task Force on Foods Derived from Biotechnology - 7th session report

The report of the 7th Session of the Codex Ad Hoc Intergovernmental Task Force on Foods Derived from Biotechnology, held on 24-28 September 2007 in Chiba, Japan, is now available. Among the conclusions reached at the meeting, the Task Force agreed to forward to the 31st Session of the Codex Alimentarius Commission (to be held from 30 June to 5 July 2008) for adoption at Step 5/8 the i) Proposed Draft Guideline for the Conduct of Food Safety Assessment of Foods Derived from Recombinant-DNA Animals; ii) Proposed Draft Annex on Food Safety Assessment of Foods Derived from Recombinant-DNA Plants Modified for Nutritional or Health Benefits; and iii) Proposed Draft Annex on Food Safety Assessment in Situations of Low-level Presence of Recombinant-DNA Plant Material in Food. See the report (ALINORM 08/31/34), together with the provisional agenda providing links to the meeting's documents, at http://www.codexalimentarius.net/web/archives.jsp?year=08 or contact codex@fao.org for further information.

State of the World’s Animal Genetic Resources

On 3-7 September 2007, the first International Technical Conference on Animal Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture was held in Interlaken, Switzerland, organized by FAO and hosted by the Government of Switzerland. During the conference, the FAO report "The State of the World’s Animal Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture" was released. This comprehensive 511-page publication draws on 169 Country Reports, contributions from a number of international organizations, 12 specially commissioned thematic studies and wider expert knowledge to provide the first global assessment of these resources and their management. It contains many sections indirectly or directly relevant to biotechnology, such as applications of molecular markers and reproductive technologies. The main achievement of the conference was the adoption of the Global Plan of Action for Animal Genetic Resources as a critical milestone in international efforts to promote conservation and wise management of the world’s animal genetic resources for food and agriculture. See this website (includes the full 'State of the World' report in English; a 37-page "brief" version, presenting a summary of the key findings of the main report, in Arabic, Chinese, English, French and Spanish; and the conference report) or contact dad-is@fao.org for more information.

Biotechnology and biosafety in West Asia and North Africa

On 8-10 September 2007, a regional consultation on “Biotechnology and biosafety for agriculture and the environment in the West Asia and North Africa sub-region" was held in Aleppo, Syria, sponsored by FAO, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA). Its objective was to develop a proposal for an integrated regional framework on biotechnology and biosafety involving major stakeholders. See a news story about the workshop at http://www.icarda.org/News/2007/12Sep07/12Sep07.htm or contact kakoli.ghosh@fao.org for more information.

FAO Biotechnology Glossary - Vietnamese translation

The FAO Glossary of Biotechnology for Food and Agriculture has been translated into Vietnamese, published by the Center for Information and Technological Transfer of Biology (CITB), in Vietnam, through an arrangement with FAO. The book provides in English the same 3,196 terms and definitions contained in the original glossary as well as their Vietnamese translation. The glossary provides consolidated, comprehensive and accessible definitions of terms and acronyms that are used regularly in biotechnology, including genetic engineering, and closely allied fields. The original English version of the glossary was written by A. Zaid, H.G. Hughes, E. Porceddu and F. Nicholas. See http://www.fao.org/biotech/vietgloss.htm or contact nguyenbahai@hn.vnn.vn for more information.

GIPB website launched

The website of the Global Partnership Initiative for Plant Breeding Capacity Building (GIPB) has now been launched. This multi-stakeholder initiative, whose Secretariat will be initially hosted by FAO, aims to enhance the capacity of developing countries to improve crops for food security and sustainable development through better plant breeding and delivery systems. Among the items of interest, the website includes preliminary results from an electronic consultation process, involving stakeholders from international organisations, foundations, universities and research institutes, civil society associations and national and regional bodies, that took place from July to September 2007. The results of this consultation define the longer-term priorities and strategies for the GIPB and will guide formulation of its organizational and implementation framework. See http://km.fao.org/gipb/ or contact gipb@fao.org for more information.

Biopesticides against the Desert Locust

As publication 34 in its Desert Locust Technical Series, FAO's Plant Production and Protection Division has just published a "Review of the efficacy of Metarhizium anisopliae var. acridum against the Desert Locust" by H. van der Valk. Isolates of the entomopathogenic (i.e. pathogenic to insects only) fungus Metarhizium can be used as a biopesticide against the Desert Locust. See the publication or contact james.everts@fao.org for more information.

62nd session of the UN General Assembly

The General Assembly of the United Nations (UN) opened its 62nd session on 18 September 2007 at the UN Headquarters in New York, United States. The wide range of agenda items for consideration includes item 54.f on 'Sustainable development: Convention on Biological Diversity', for which a report (nr. A/62/276) has been prepared summarising the ongoing work regarding the Convention, including its Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety. It also includes agenda item 56.b, entitled 'Globalization and interdependence: Science and technology for development', for which a report (nr. A/62/136) has been submitted by the Secretary-General that includes an update on UN system-wide collaboration on biotechnology-related activities. See reports related to these agenda items (in Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish), plus draft resolutions, at http://www.un.org/ga/second/62/documentation.shtml or contact inquiries@un.org for more information.

Regional workshops on risk assessment and risk management - Cartagena Protocol

One of the decisions (BS-II/9) made at the 2nd meeting of the Conference of the Parties serving as the meeting of Parties to the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety (COP-MOP/2) included a request that the Executive Secretary would convene, prior to the 4th meeting, regional workshops on capacity-building and exchange of experiences on risk assessment and risk management of living modified organisms. In this context, an African regional workshop was held on 23-25 August 2007 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, hosted by the African Union Commission and funded by the Government of the Netherlands and its report is now available. Secondly, a Central and Eastern European regional workshop will be held on 26-28 November 2007 in Chisinau, Moldova, hosted by the Government of Moldova, with funding from the Government of Switzerland, and the meeting documents are available at http://www.cbd.int/doc/meeting.asp?mtg=RWCBCEE-01. Contact secretariat@cbd.int for any further information.

World Bank background papers for the WDR 2008

The World Bank has recently published "Agricultural biotechnology: Transgenics in agriculture and their implications for developing countries", by E. Pehu and C. Ragasa, a 38-page paper that synthesises peer-reviewed research results published within the past three years and a few earlier, ground-breaking papers that are central to economic debates on the subject. It has also published "Science, technology and skills", by P. Pardey and and co-authors, a 118-page report that looks at the changing context of agricultural research and development, including some discussion about biotechnology. Both were prepared as background papers for the World Development Report 2008, recently published by the World Bank. See http://go.worldbank.org/R1GDGYU5E0 and http://go.worldbank.org/WW4BTHM0D0 respectively or contact wdr2008@worldbank.org for more information.

OARE initiative expanded

In October 2006, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), Yale University and leading science and technology publishers launched the Online Access to Research in the Environment (OARE) initiative. The second phase of this initiative has just been announced, so that eligible institutions in a total of 107 low-income countries can now have free or low cost access to over 1,300 environment related scientific journals (some of which cover applications of biotechnology in food and agriculture). See http://www.oaresciences.org (in English, French and Spanish) or contact oare@oaresciences.org for more information.

OIE ad hoc Group on Biotechnology - 3rd meeting report

The 3rd meeting of the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) ad hoc Group on Biotechnology was held on 12-14 June 2007 in Paris, France. The ad hoc Group's purpose is to address the scientific and technical aspects of biotechnology that impact on animal health. The meeting report (unofficial version) is now available. See the report (in Appendix III, pages 13-40, 1.1 MB) or contact scientific.dept@oie.int for more information.

Vaccination and vaccines in animal health

In order to provide World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) Delegates with updated information to scientifically support decision-making, two special issues of the OIE Scientific and Technical Review have been dedicated to animal vaccination. The issues, edited by P.-P. Pastoret, M. Lombard and A.A. Schudel, are designed to provide useful generic information rather than give detailed technical descriptions of specific diseases or vaccines. The papers are organised under the following main headings: development and production of vaccines (including e.g. a paper on genomics and vaccine development); why use vaccines?; the scientific and economic basis of vaccination; regulatory aspects; and socio-ethical aspects. All the papers from the first issue, 26 (1), are currently available on the web while those from the second issue, 26 (2), will be available shortly. See the issues or contact publications.dept@oie.int for more information.

Ex situ conservation of coffee genetic resources

As part of its Topical Reviews in Agricultural Biodiversity series, Bioversity International has just published "Complementary strategies for ex situ conservation of coffee (Coffea arabica L.) genetic resources. A case study in CATIE, Costa Rica", edited by F. Engelmann, M.E. Dulloo, C. Astorga, S. Dussert and F. Anthony. The aim of this 61-page publication, sub-divided into seven chapters, is to "illustrate how new technologies (molecular biology and cryopreservation) can be efficiently employed to complement more classical ones for characterizing and rationalizing an ex situ germplasm collection, and to improve its conservation status". See the publication (515 KB) or contact Bioversity-publications@cgiar.org for more information.

Mexican farmers' preferences - Milpa system and GM maize

As part of its IFPRI Discussion Papers series, the International Food Policy Research Institute has just published "Farmer preferences for milpa diversity and genetically modified maize in Mexico: A latent class approach" by E. Birol, E.R. Villalba, and M. Smale. The aim of this 31-page paper is to estimate Mexican farmers’ valuation of the most important components of agrobiodiversity found in the milpa system, and the option to cultivate GM maize in this system, using data collected from 420 farm households across three states of Mexico. (The Mexican milpa system refers to a complex combination of agronomic practices, crop associations and rotation sequences). See the paper (359 KB) or contact ifpri@cgiar.org for more information.

Potential impact of Bt cotton in West Africa

As part of its IFPRI Discussion Papers series, the International Food Policy Research Institute has published "The economic impact and the distribution of benefits and risk from the adoption of insect resistant (Bt) cotton in West Africa" by J. Falck-Zepeda, D. Horna and M. Smale. The 58-page study estimates the potential impact of the deployment of insect resistant cotton in selected countries in West Africa using different scenarios. See the paper (587 KB) or contact ifpri@cgiar.org for more information.

Presentations from GCP annual meeting

On 12-16 September 2007, the Annual Research Meeting of the Generation Challenge Programme was held in Benoni, South Africa. The meeting was organised around four main themes: exploiting allelic diversity; genomic resources and gene/pathway discovery; marker development and breeding applications; and support services and enabling delivery. For a report of the meeting, providing links to all the presentations and posters, see http://www.generationcp.org/arm.php or contact a.okono@cgiar.org for more information.

National reports on implementation of the Cartagena Protocol

In accordance with Article 33 of the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety, each Party is required to monitor the implementation of its obligations under the Protocol and to report to the Conference of the Parties serving as the meeting of the Parties to the Protocol (COP-MOP) on measures taken to implement the Protocol. In this respect, First Regular National Reports have now been submitted by Parties and are available at http://www.cbd.int/reports/list.shtml?type=cpb1. Contact secretariat@cbd.int if requiring more information.

World Development Report 2008

The World Development Report 2008 has just been published by the World Bank, entitled 'Agriculture for development'. The report is split into three main parts: what can agriculture do for development? (part I, chapters 1-3); what are effective instruments in using agriculture for development? (part II, chapters 4-9); and how can agriculture-for-development agendas best be implemented? (part III, chapters 10-11). Chapter 7 is dedicated to ' Innovating through science and technology' and considers also the role of agricultural biotechnologies. See the full report at http://go.worldbank.org/LBJZD6HWZ0 (in English, with overviews in Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Portuguese, Russian and Spanish) or contact wdr2008@worldbank.org for more information. The World Development Report is produced on an annual basis, this being its 30th year, and is the World Bank's major analytical publication. The last one focusing on agriculture was in 1982 (entitled 'Agriculture and economic development').

UNEP-GEF project on national biosafety frameworks

The UNEP-GEF global Project on Development of National Biosafety Frameworks (NBFs) began in June 2001. A total of 92 countries have now finished the project and have published draft NBFs on the web. See http://www.unep.ch/biosafety/news.htm#nbf or contact biosafety@unep.ch for more information.

IPRs and biotechnology - WIPO seminar

On 2-3 May 2007, the World Intellectual Property Organization organised, in cooperation with the Industrial Property Office of the Slovak Republic, an international seminar on "Current challenges in intellectual property rights and biotechnology" in Banska Bystrica, Slovakia. Presentations from the seminar are now available on the web. See http://www.wipo.int/meetings/en/2007/ipr_bsk/ or contact publicinf@wipo.int for more information.

Patent issues related to influenza viruses and their genes

On 20-23 November 2007, the World Health Organization (WHO) is organising an intergovernmental meeting on "Pandemic influenza preparedness: Sharing of influenza viruses and access to vaccines and other benefits" in Geneva, Switzerland. At the meeting, the WHO Director-General will submit a report on 'Patent issues related to influenza viruses and their genes' (item 2.2 on the provisional agenda). A background paper to this report is already available on the web, commissioned by WHO from the World Intellectual Property Organization. This 41-page working paper reviews certain technical patent issues relating to influenza viruses and their genes, with a particular focus on the avian flu or H5N1 subtype. See http://www.who.int/gb/pip/ or contact lifesciences@wipo.int for more information or to provide comments.

OECD Biotechnology Update 18

Issue number 18 (September 2007) of the OECD Biotechnology Update is now available. Presented by OECD's Internal Co-ordination Group for Biotechnology, the 24-page newsletter provides updated information on the diverse activities at the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development related to biotechnology. It contains items on news, recent and future events, recent and future publications and provides web and e-mail contacts for the different areas of activity. See http://www.oecd.org/dataoecd/3/44/39314743.pdf (389 KB) or contact icgb@oecd.org for more information.

July

FAO biotechnology activities and documents

Two main sections of the FAO biotechnology website have recently been updated. The first, on FAO Activities, includes an introductory webpage on FAO activities in the field of biotechnology as well as one webpage each for its four main activities i.e. providing i) advice to governments ii) technical assistance iii) information and iv) a meeting place for nations. The second, on FAO Documents, provides an annotated list of freely-downloadable documents and now includes over 160 web links to a wide range of articles, books, meeting reports, proceedings and studies published by FAO, or prepared in collaboration with FAO, over the last 10 years concerning biotechnology in food and agriculture. See http://www.fao.org/biotech/act.asp and http://www.fao.org/biotech/doc.asp respectively (in Arabic, Chinese, English, French and Spanish) or contact biotech-website@fao.org with any comments.

Biotechnologies in animal genetic resources management

The latest edition (nr. 40) of the Animal Genetic Resources Information (AGRI) bulletin has now been published, including a 13-page paper on "The use of reproductive and molecular biotechnology in animal genetic resources management – a global overview" by D. Pilling and co-authors from FAO's Animal Production and Health Division. AGRI is published under the auspices of FAO and includes articles, in English, French or Spanish, on all aspects of the characterisation, conservation and utilisation of animal genetic resources of interest to food and agriculture production. See http://www.fao.org/docrep/010/a1128t/a1128t00.htm or contact agri-bulletin@fao.org for more information.

Benefits and limits of marker-assisted selection

In conjunction with the publication of the new FAO book on "Marker-assisted selection: Current status and future perspectives in crops, livestock, forestry and fish", the FAO Newsroom has just released a web interview with Shivaji Pandey, Chairperson of FAO's Working Group on Biotechnology, on marker-assisted selection entitled "Benefits and limits of an important biotech tool". The interview can be read at http://www.fao.org/newsroom/en/news/2007/1000630/index.html or can be received by e-mail from Charlotte.Lietaer@fao.org.

FAO/IAEA Animal Production and Health Newsletter 46

The July 2007 newsletter from the Animal Production and Health Section of the Joint FAO/IAEA Division of Nuclear Techniques in Food and Agriculture and the FAO/IAEA Agriculture and Biotechnology Laboratory is now available. The 24-page newsletter, issued twice a year, gives an overview of past and upcoming projects, publications and events. The editorial highlights the issue of improving reproductive efficiency of animals, through e.g. applying biotechnologies. See http://www-naweb.iaea.org/nafa/aph/public/ap-nl-46.pdf (591 KB) or contact R.Schellander@iaea.org to subscribe to the newsletter.

FAO/IAEA Plant Breeding and Genetics Newsletter 19

The July 2007 newsletter from the Plant Breeding and Genetics Section of the Joint FAO/IAEA Division of Nuclear Techniques in Food and Agriculture and the FAO/IAEA Agriculture and Biotechnology Laboratory is now available. This 52-page newsletter, issued twice a year, gives an overview of their past and upcoming events (meetings, training courses etc.), ongoing projects and publications. The editorial discusses the use of induced mutations in crop improvement. See http://www-naweb.iaea.org/nafa/pbg/public/pb-nl-19.pdf (2.2 MB) or contact k.allaf@iaea.org to request a copy.

FAO/IAEA Insect Pest Control Newsletter 69

The July 2007 newsletter from the Insect Pest Control Section of the Joint FAO/IAEA Division of Nuclear Techniques in Food and Agriculture and the FAO/IAEA Agriculture and Biotechnology Laboratory is now available on the web. The 40-page newsletter, issued twice a year, gives an overview of past, ongoing and future activities of the Section and Laboratory, which include research into applications of biotechnologies to insects (e.g. fruit flies) as part of future insect pest control strategies. See http://www-naweb.iaea.org/nafa/ipc/public/ipc-nl-69.pdf (1.5 MB) or contact G.Franz@iaea.org for more information.

Green revolution to gene revolution - Conference proceedings

On 27-31 May 2003, an international conference entitled "In the wake of the double helix: From the green revolution to the gene revolution" took place in Bologna, Italy, co-sponsored by FAO. Proceedings of the conference, edited by R. Tuberosa, R.L. Phillips and M. Gale, are now available on the web. The 48 reviews and articles included in the proceedings are organised into six sections: the architects of the green revolution; biodiversity and germplasm resources; genes, QTLs and crop improvement; tools, models and platforms for plant genomics; genetic engineering for food security and biofarming; and plant biotechnology and society. See the proceedings or contact roberto.tuberosa@unibo.it for more information.

Biosafety education and training - Meeting report

The report of the 2nd International Meeting of Academic Institutions and Organizations Involved in Biosafety Education and Training, that was held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on 16-18 April 2007, is now available. The meeting was organised by the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity and the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), with support from the Governments of Denmark and Switzerland and the Biosafety Interdisciplinary Research Network, and hosted by the Government of Malaysia. See the 34-page report, plus the meeting documents, at http://www.cbd.int/doc/meeting.aspx?mtg=BETAIO-02 or contact secretariat@cbd.int for more information.

Beyond the Blue Book - Rapporteurs' report

On 29 September 2006, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) organised a workshop in Jeju Island, South Korea, entitled "Beyond the Blue Book: Framework for risk/ safety assessment of transgenic plants". A 4-page 'overview of the workshop' by M. Kobayashi and P. Kearns is now available on the web. See http://www.oecd.org/dataoecd/32/4/38921489.doc or contact icgb@oecd.org for more information.

Consensus document on plants expressing Bt-derived proteins

As part of the series on Harmonisation of Regulatory Oversight in Biotechnology, the OECD’s Working Group on Harmonisation of Regulatory Oversight in Biotechnology has recently published the "Consensus document on safety information on transgenic plants expressing Bacillus thuringiensis - derived insect control protein". The 109-page document "summarises the information available on the source of Bacillus thuringiensis delta-endotoxin genes, the structure and properties of the toxins they encode, unique mechanisms of action, use in plants, toxicity and exposure data, and assessment methods". See the document or contact ehscont@oecd.org for more information.

Marker-assisted selection in crops, livestock, forestry and fish

The FAO Working Group on Biotechnology has just published "Marker-assisted selection: Current status and future perspectives in crops, livestock, forestry and fish", edited by E.P. Guimarães, J. Ruane, B.D. Scherf, A. Sonnino and J.D. Dargie. The 494-page book is organised into six sections: an introduction to marker-assisted selection (MAS), in chapters 1-2; case studies of MAS in crops (including cassava, common beans, cotton, forage crops, maize, tomato and wheat), in chapters 3-9; case studies of MAS in livestock (including dairy cattle, goats, poultry and sheep), in chapters 10-13; case studies of MAS in forestry (including eucalyptus), in chapters 14-15; case studies of MAS in fish and shellfish, in chapters 16-17; and the final section is devoted to a selection of non-technical issues relevant to applications of MAS in developing countries, such as national research capacities and international partnerships, economic considerations, the impacts of intellectual property rights, and policy considerations (chapters 18-22). See http://www.fao.org/docrep/010/a1120e/a1120e00.htmor contact nadia.sozzi@fao.org to request a copy, providing your full postal address.

Launch of FAO-BiotechNews-Cn

FAO is happy to announce the launching of FAO-BiotechNews-Cn, an e-mail newsletter providing updates of news and event items in Chinese that are relevant to applications of biotechnology in food and agriculture in developing countries. It is the Chinese version of the English-language newsletter FAO-BiotechNews. The main focus of its news and event items is on the activities of FAO, of other United Nations (UN) agencies/bodies and of the 15 research centres supported by the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR), in addition to activities of a few major non-UN inter-governmental organizations. See more details about FAO-BiotechNews-Cn at http://www.fao.org/biotech/welcn.pdf (in Chinese). To subscribe, send an e-mail to mailserv@mailserv.fao.org with the subject blank and the following one-line text message:

subscribe FAO-BiotechNews-Cn-L

CGRFA - Report of the 11th Regular Session

The report is now available of the 11th Regular Session of the Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (CGRFA) that took place at FAO Headquarters, Rome on 11-15 June 2007. The major achievement of the session was the adoption of a ten-year rolling Multi-year Programme of Work on Biodiversity for Food and Agriculture, covering all genetic resources of relevance to food and agriculture (see paragraphs 88-94 and Appendix E). Paragraphs 45-49 of the report deal with 'Progress on the draft Code of Conduct on Biotechnology, as it relates to genetic resources for food and agriculture' while paragraphs 50-53 cover 'Guiding Principles for the development of CGIAR Centres’ policies to address the possibility of unintentional presence of transgenes in ex situ collections'. See http://www.fao.org/ag/cgrfa/cgrfa11.htm for the report (document CGRFA-11/07/REPORT) in English, with Arabic, Chinese, French and Spanish versions to follow, and other Session documents or contact cgrfa@fao.org for more information. Membership of the CGRFA includes a total of 170 countries and the European Community and its Secretariat is based in FAO Headquarters, Rome. Its next Regular Session takes place in 2009.

Panel of Eminent Experts on Ethics - 3rd session report

On 14-16 September 2005, the Panel of Eminent Experts on Ethics in Food and Agriculture held its 3rd session at FAO headquarters, Rome. The report of the session is now available. At the meeting, the Panel focused its discussion on nine main themes: fisheries; food safety; food aid; sustainable agricultural intensification; animal welfare and the intensification of animal production; globalization of food and agriculture; hunger, nutrition and the Right to Food Guidelines; global goods, global services and privatization; and intellectual property rights. The issue of genetically modified organisms was addressed in discussions of four of the themes. See the report (in English, French and Spanish, with Arabic and Chinese to come), more information on the Panel at http://www.fao.org/ethics/exp_en.htm or contact cgrfa@fao.org for more information. The Panel was established by FAO's Director-General for a four-year period in 2000, meeting twice in this period, and then extended for a further four years in 2004.

Diagnostic protocol for Thrips palmi

The Secretariat of the International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC) has submitted for member consultation the draft diagnostic protocol (DP) for Thrips palmi (an insect that causes economic damage to plant crops both as a direct result of its feeding activity and as a result of its ability to vector tospoviruses). The 13-page protocol describes, inter alia, four PCR-based molecular assays that can be used for discrimination of Thrips palmi. DPs are published as annexes to International Standards for Phytosanitary Measures (ISPM) No. 27 (Diagnostic protocols for regulated pests) and they describe procedures and methods for the detection and identification of pests that are regulated by Contracting Parties of the IPPC and relevant for international trade. The draft DP was developed by the Technical Panel on Diagnostic Protocols (TPDP). See the draft DP at https://www.ippc.int/id/184110?language=en (in Arabic, Chinese, English, French and Spanish), meeting reports of the TPDP at https://www.ippc.int/id/59235?language=en or contact ippc@fao.org for more information. The IPPC is an international treaty relating to plant health, to which 161 governments currently adhere, and its Secretariat is based at FAO Headquarters, Rome.

Biosafety across the CGIAR system

In 2003, the Science Council of the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) commissioned a strategic study of biosafety across the CGIAR system, in order to shed light on current policies, procedures and practices and to make recommendations on future biosafety policies and practices for the CGIAR system. The Secretariat of the Science Council has just published the 'Report of the Biosafety Panel to the CGIAR Science Council on Biosafety Policy and Practices of the CGIAR Centers', including a commentary from the Science Council on the report. See the document or contact SC-Secretariat@fao.org for more information. The Secretariat of the Science Council is based in FAO Headquarters, Rome.

Biosafety Protocol News - 2nd issue

The Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity has just published the 2nd issue of Biosafety Protocol News. This 16-page issue focuses on national experiences in the implementation of the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety. See the issue (925 KB) or contact BPN@cbd.int for more information.

June

Genomics and genetic resources

As part of its Background Study Paper series (number 34), the FAO Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture has just published "Genomics and genetic resources for food and agriculture" by R. Fears. The 51-page study is organised into five main sections: introduction to the role of the biosciences in the use of genetic resources; current status of genomics and functional genomics; capitalising on advances in genomics; trends in investment; and facing the challenges to achieve food security and sustainable development. See ftp://ftp.fao.org/ag/cgrfa/bsp/bsp34e.pdf or contact cgrfa@fao.org for more information.

Transgene flow and genetic resources

As part of its Background Study Paper series (number 35), the FAO Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture has just published "A typology of the effects of (trans)gene flow on the conservation and sustainable use of genetic resources" by J.A. Heinemann. The 100-page paper is organised into 5 chapters: gene flow – what is it?; possible effects of (trans)gene flow on agriculture, plant and animal biodiversity and human and animal health; legal, social and economic effects of gene flow; managing gene flow; and is co-existence sustainable?. See ftp://ftp.fao.org/ag/cgrfa/bsp/bsp35r1e.pdf or contact cgrfa@fao.org for more information.

Agricultural microbial genetic resources - Technical issues

A paper prepared for the Genetic Resources Policy Committee of the CGIAR, entitled "Technical issues relating to agricultural microbial genetic resources (AMiGRs), including their characteristics, utilization, preservation and distribution" was distributed as a draft information paper to the 11th Regular Session of the Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture, held at FAO Headquarters, Rome on 11-15 June 2007. Examples of some agricultural microbial genetic resources (AMiGRs, defined as "microbes that assist the production of plants or animals, either directly or indirectly, in agricultural settings") described in the paper include root nodule bacteria, mycorrhizal fungi, rumen microbes, biocontrol agents and AMiGRs facilitating DNA or gene transfer. See the 46-page paper, based on an information document prepared by J.G. Howieson, at ftp://ftp.fao.org/ag/cgrfa/cgrfa11/r11c3e.pdf or contact cgrfa@fao.org for more information.

Safety assessment of foods from GM animals - Meeting report

FAO and the World Health Organization (WHO) convened an expert consultation on the "Safety assessment of foods derived from recombinant-DNA animals" at WHO Headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, from 26 February to 2 March 2007. Its objective was to provide scientific advice to FAO/WHO and their Member States on two sets of questions regarding i) marker and reporter genes and ii) non-heritable applications. The meeting report is now available. See the report or contact food-quality@fao.org for more information. (Following definitions provided in the report, marker genes are "used to determine if a piece of DNA has been successfully introduced into the animal cell"; a reporter gene is "a gene that encodes a product that can be readily assayed"; and the term ‘non-heritable applications’ covers the direct introduction of nucleic acids into non-germ line tissue of animals that will enter the food supply).

Codex Committee on Food Labelling - 35th session report

The report of the 35th Session of the Codex Committee on Food Labelling (CCFL), that took place from 30 April to 4 May 2007 in Ottawa, Canada, is now available. Agenda Item 5, on "Labelling of foods and food ingredients obtained through certain techniques of genetic modification / genetic engineering", is covered in paragraphs 98-123 of the report. See the report (491 KB) or contact codex@fao.org for further information. For some background on the CCFL's work in this area, see http://www.fao.org/ag/agn/agns/biotechnology_labelling_en.asp (in English, French and Spanish).

Codex Task Force on Foods Derived from Biotechnology - 7th Session

On 24-28 September 2007, the 7th Session of the Codex Ad Hoc Intergovernmental Task Force on Foods Derived from Biotechnology takes place in Chiba, Japan. The provisional agenda, with links to relevant documents, is now available. See http://www.codexalimentarius.net/web/current.jsp (in English, French and Spanish) or contact codex@fao.org for further information. For more on this Task Force, including reports of its previous six sessions, see http://www.fao.org/ag/agn/agns/biotechnology_codex_en.asp (in English, French and Spanish).

FAO Biotechnology Glossary - Serbian translation

The FAO Glossary of Biotechnology for Food and Agriculture has now been translated into Serbian (published by Partenon, Belgrade). The 351-page book provides in English the same terms and definitions contained in the original glossary as well as their Serbian translation. The glossary provides consolidated, comprehensive and accessible definitions of over 3,000 terms and acronyms that are used regularly in biotechnology, including genetic engineering, and closely allied fields. The original English version of the glossary was written by A. Zaid, H.G. Hughes, E. Porceddu and F. Nicholas and the Serbian translation was carried out by M. Plavsic, T. Cobic and S. Stojanovic, with Z. Stojanovic as the technical secretary and M. Kraljevic-Balalic as the reviewer. The publication (3 MB) can be downloaded from the multi-lingual biotechnology glossary website, http://www.fao.org/biotech/index_glossary.asp. Contact biotech-website@fao.org for more information.

Installation and operation of a bivalve hatchery

As part of its FAO Fisheries Technical Papers series, the FAO Fisheries and Aquaculture Department has just published "Installation and operation of a modular bivalve hatchery", prepared by S. Sarkis and compiled/edited by A. Lovatelli. The 173-page manual contains 5 chapters focusing on a rearing phase (broodstock conditioning, algal culture, hatchery, nursery and, finally, growout of juveniles) and providing technical drawings with descriptive text; scientific background on biology and culture aspects; and operational and culture protocols. The 6th chapter looks at economic considerations. See http://www.fao.org/docrep/010/a0797e/a0797e00.htm or contact alessandro.lovatelli@fao.org for more information.

Reporting on agricultural biotechnologies

The International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) and the International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-Biotech Applications (ISAAA) have just published "Genes are gems: Reporting agri-biotechnology", by R.L Navarro, S.G. Warrier and C.C Maslog. The 139-page book has been prepared for science communicators who want to report on agricultural biotechnology. It synthesises the presentations, discussions and outputs from a series of seminar-workshops on agri-biotechnology for the mass media organised by ICRISAT in Asia and West Africa between 2004 and 2006, in cooperation with ISAAA and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). See http://www.icrisat.org/Publications/Genes_Gems.htm or contact icrisat@cgiar.org for more information.

Labelling of GM foods in India

As part of its IFPRI Discussion Papers series, the International Food Policy Research Institute has recently published "The economics of GM food labels: An evaluation of mandatory labeling proposals in India" by S. Bansal and B. Ramaswami. The 35-page paper evaluates the optimal regulatory approach to labelling of genetically modified (GM) foods. See http://www.ifpri.org/pubs/dp/ifpridp00704.asp or contact ifpri@cgiar.org for more information. IFPRI Discussion Papers contain preliminary material and research results and are circulated to stimulate discussion and critical comment.

May

FAO Biotechnology Glossary on CD-ROM

The FAO Working Group on Biotechnology has just published a CD-ROM containing the Arabic, English, French and Spanish versions of the FAO Glossary of Biotechnology for Food and Agriculture. The glossary, available on the web at http://www.fao.org/biotech/index_glossary.asp, is a convenient reference source for researchers, students, technicians and translators. It provides consolidated, comprehensive and accessible definitions of over 3,000 terms and acronyms that are used regularly in biotechnology, including genetic engineering, and closely allied fields. The CD-ROM is equipped with user-friendly searching facilities that allow easy cross-referencing among the four languages. Contact sandra.tardioli@fao.org to request a copy, providing your full postal address.

Biopesticides in Desert Locust management

On 12-15 February 2007, FAO organised an international workshop on "The future of biopesticides in Desert Locust management" in Saly, Senegal, with support from the International Fund for Agricultural Development, the International Organization of the Francophonie and the World Bank. Its goal was to determine: i) what role Metarhizium (a pathogenic fungus) and PAN (the hormone phenylacetonitrile) should play in Desert Locust management and ii) key actions required to integrate biopesticides into operational campaigns. Workshop documents are now available on a CD-ROM and the workshop report is available on the web in English and French. See the report or contact james.everts@fao.org to request the CD-ROM and/or a copy of the report.

OIE Scientific and Technical Review

The Scientific and Technical Review is a peer-reviewed journal published by the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) three times a year which contains in-depth studies devoted to current scientific and technical developments in animal health and veterinary public health world-wide. The latest issue, volume 25 (3), is now available on the web, containing a range of biotechnology-related papers, including "Aspects of kit validation for tests used for the diagnosis and surveillance of livestock diseases: producer and end-user responsibilities" by J.R. Crowther, H. Unger and G.J. Viljoen from the Joint FAO/IAEA Division of Nuclear Techniques in Food and Agriculture. See the issue or contact publications.dept@oie.int for more information.

New OECD consensus documents on larches, mushrooms and sunflowers

A major output of the work of the OECD’s Working Group on Harmonisation of Regulatory Oversight in Biotechnology is the publication of consensus documents, which typically compile information on the biology of specific crop plant species which is for use in environmental risk/ safety assessment. The "Consensus document on the biology of the Native North American Larches: Subalpine larch (Larix lyallii), Western larch (Larix occidentalis), and tamarack (Larix laricina)" is now available on the web, at http://appli1.oecd.org/olis/2007doc.nsf/linkto/env-jm-mono(2007)7. The OECD’s Task Force for the Safety of Novel Foods and Feeds also publishes consensus documents, dealing with issues related to human foods and animal feeds. It has recently published the "Consensus document on compositional considerations for new varieties of the cultivated mushroom Agaricus bisporus: Key food and feed nutrients, anti-nutrients and toxicants" and the "Consensus document on compositional considerations for new varieties of sunflower: Key food and feed nutrients, anti-nutrients and toxicants". See http://appli1.oecd.org/olis/2007doc.nsf/linkto/env-jm-mono(2007)5 and http://appli1.oecd.org/olis/2007doc.nsf/linkto/env-jm-mono(2007)6 respectively, or contact ehscont@oecd.org for more information about any of these three publications.

Resistance to Fusarium diseases in wheat and barley

Fusarium head blight and Fusarium crown rot are important threats to sustainable wheat and barley production worldwide. Efforts to combat these diseases have been increasing around the world throughout numerous countries and research communities. On 14-17 March 2006, the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT), with support from the Government of Japan, organised a strategic planning workshop in El Batán, Mexico, to highlight the importance of diseases caused by the Fusarium fungus; the status of collaborative efforts to address these diseases; and future prospects for international collaboration. Proceedings of the meeting, edited by T. Ban, J.M. Lewis and E.E. Phipps, include several research papers on the use of molecular markers in breeding for disease resistance and are now available on the web. See http://www.cimmyt.org/english/docs/proceedings/fusarium06.pdf (2.1 MB) or contact lvillasenor@cgiar.org for more information.

Biosafety and biotechnology regulations in India

On 24-25 August 2006, the International Food Policy Research Institute, under the South Asia Biosafety Program, organised a conference in New Delhi, India on "Economic considerations of biosafety and biotechnology regulations in India", in collaboration with the Research and Information System for Developing Countries (RIS), India. The meeting was designed to provide a platform for national and international economic experts and important Indian stakeholders to discuss economic considerations related to biosafety and biotechnology in India. The 64-page proceedings, providing a summary of presentations and discussions from the conference, are now available on the web. See http://www.ifpri.org/pubs/books/indiaproc.asp or contact ifpri@cgiar.org for more information.

April

GMOs in crop production - Environmental effects

On 18-20 January 2005, FAO hosted an expert consultation in Rome, Italy, on "Genetically modified organisms in crop production and their effects on the environment: Methodologies for monitoring and the way ahead". Proceedings of the consultation, edited by K. Ghosh and P.C. Jepson, are now available on the web, consisting of the report plus a selection of papers presented by invited speakers. The consultation recommended that all responsible deployment of GM crops needed to comprise the whole technology development process, from the pre-release risk assessment to biosafety considerations and post-release monitoring, and that a continuous engagement of stakeholders is essential for success of the process. Two distinct strategies were developed that could be used as the basis for efficient monitoring programmes. See http://www.fao.org/docrep/009/a0802e/a0802e00.htm or contact kakoli.ghosh@fao.org to request a copy.

Biotechnology and the Cartagena Protocol - Implications for cereal trade

The 31st Session of the Intergovernmental Group on Grains and the 42nd Session of the Intergovernmental Group on Rice are being held in a joint meeting on 14-17 May 2007 in Istanbul, Turkey. One of the papers prepared for the meeting is entitled "Biotechnology in crop production and the Biosafety Protocol - Implications for cereal trade", whose aim is to present an overview of modern biotechnology in crop production, with a particular reference to genetically modified organisms, discuss the international instruments of relevance in this area and highlight the challenges and implications for cereal trade. See http://www.fao.org/unfao/bodies/ccp/gr-ri/2007/index_en.htm or contact IGG-Rice-and-Grains-2007@fao.org for more information. These Intergovernmental Groups were established by FAO's Committee on Commodity Problems and their last Sessions were held in 2004.

CGRFA 11th Regular Session documents

The 11th Regular Session of the Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (CGRFA) takes place on 11-15 June 2007 in Rome, Italy. Documents for the meeting are now available on the web, some of which are directly related to biotechnology, namely "Progress on the Draft Code of Conduct on Biotechnology as it relates to genetic resources for food and agriculture: policy issues, gaps and duplications" (document CGRFA-11/07/13); "Guiding principles for the development of CGIAR Centres' policies to address the possibility of unintentional presence of transgenes in ex situ collections" (document CGRFA-11/07/14 Rev.1); "The State of the World's Animal Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture: Final Version" (document CGRFA-11/07/Inf.6); as well as a report from FAO providing an overview of the main activities being undertaken in six of FAO's Priority Areas for Inter-Disciplinary Action (PAIAs), including the Biotechnology PAIA, that are most relevant to the work of the CGRFA (document CGRFA-11/07/20.3). See http://www.fao.org/ag/cgrfa/cgrfa11.htm (documents will eventually be available in Arabic, Chinese, English, French and Spanish) or contact cgrfa@fao.org for more information.

The SPS Agreement and biosafety

As part of its FAO Legal Papers Online series, the FAO Legal Office has recently published "The SPS Agreement and biosafety" by M. Spreij. This paper was presented at a regional training workshop on drafting secondary biosafety regulations held on 10-13 October 2006 in Hanoi, Vietnam, organised by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF). It includes a general introduction to the World Trade Organization (WTO), its objectives, functions and structure, and to the relevant WTO Agreements in the biosafety area, notably the Agreement on the Application of Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures (the SPS Agreement). In addition, it presents the findings of the Panel Report in the recent biotechnology dispute and identifies some areas of potential conflict between the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety and WTO rules, in particular the SPS Agreement. The concluding remarks contain some practical considerations on drafting biosafety legislation. See http://www.fao.org/Legal/prs-ol/lpo65.pdf or contact devlaw@fao.org to request a copy or to provide any comments.

Archives of e-mail conference on biotechnologies and water scarcity

The FAO moderated e-mail conference entitled "Coping with water scarcity in developing countries: What role for agricultural biotechnologies?" is now finished. It ran from 5 March to 1 April 2007, about 430 people subscribed and 78 messages were posted by 50 people in 24 different countries. About two thirds of the messages came from developing countries. Topics discussed included the development of drought tolerant crops, through marker-assisted selection or conventional breeding; genetic modification and alternatives to genetic modification in solving water scarcity; use of bacteria and mycorrhizal fungi inoculants; and the use of biotechnologies for treating wastewater to be used in agriculture. The messages are available at http://www.fao.org/biotech/logs/c14logs.htm or can be requested as a single e-mail (size 128 KB) from biotech-admin@fao.org.

Codex Committee on Methods of Analysis and Sampling - 28th session report

The report of the 28th Session of the Codex Committee on Methods of Analysis and Sampling, that took place on 5-9 March 2007 in Budapest, Hungary, is now available. Agenda Item 6, on "Criteria for the methods for the detection and identification of foods derived from biotechnology", is covered in paragraphs 103-111 of the report. See document ALINORM 07/30/23 at http://www.codexalimentarius.net/web/archives.jsp or contact codex@fao.org for further information.

Early rapid diagnosis of transboundary animal diseases

On 19-23 March 2007, the 1st Research Coordination Meeting of the Coordinated Research Project (CRP) on "The early and rapid diagnosis of transboundary animal diseases such as Avian Influenza" was held in Vienna, Austria. The joint FAO/IAEA Division of Nuclear Techniques in Food and Agriculture has just started this new CRP, which focuses on the development of sensitive, specific and rapid early detection technologies (using e.g. the polymerase chain reaction) to detect and/or confirm harmful pathogens in animals. See more about the project at http://www-naweb.iaea.org/nafa/aph/crp/d32025-rapid-diagnosis.html; an FAO/IAEA news release about the meeting (in Arabic, English, French, Italian and Spanish) or contact k.long@iaea.org for more information.

ABNETA website

In March 2006, the Agricultural Biotechnology Network in Africa (ABNETA) was launched in Nairobi, Kenya. The initiative, run by the African Biotechnology Stakeholders Forum in collaboration with FAO, aims to help biotechnologists access information, communicate and collaborate with each other as well as key stakeholders. Its website has been recently expanded and updated, now including webpages explaining what biotechnology is and how some of the different biotechnologies work; links to relevant websites and ABNETA and FAO resources; and to a database (people or organisations can now register) built to facilitate networking among research personnel, breeders, NGOs, donors and other stakeholders around Africa. See http://www.abneta.org or contact david.priest@fao.org for more information.

Manual of seed handling in genebanks

As part of Bioversity International's Handbooks for Genebanks series, "Manual of seed handling in genebanks' by N.K. Rao, J. Hanson, M.E. Dulloo, K. Ghosh, D. Nowell and M. Larinde has just been published. Publication of the 147-page manual is a joint initiative of Bioversity International, FAO and the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI), sponsored in part by the Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation (CTA). The manual, which is accompanied by a self-learning module, is intended for genebank staff, especially technicians who handle orthodox seeds, and attempts to give simple explanations of procedures for the day-to-day management of seed-handing in genebanks. One of the many topics addressed in the manual is seed testing for inadvertent introduction of transgenes. See the manual (in English or French) or contact michael.larinde@fao.org for more information.

Plant breeding and biotechnology capacity in the Caucacus

On 21-22 February 2007, a regional workshop was held in Tbilisi, Georgia, on "Assessing and designing strategies to strengthen national plant breeding and biotechnology capacity in the Caucasus", organised by FAO in collaboration with the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) and the International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA). The 4-page report of the workshop is now available. See the report or contact elcio.guimaraes@fao.org for more information.

FAO/IAEA Animal Production and Health Newsletter 45

The December 2006 newsletter from the Animal Production and Health Section of the Joint FAO/IAEA Division of Nuclear Techniques in Food and Agriculture and the FAO/IAEA Agriculture and Biotechnology Laboratory is now available. The 20-page newsletter, issued twice a year, gives an overview of past and upcoming projects, publications and events. The editorial considers the issue of applying molecular tools in rumen microbiology. See the newsletter (480 KB) or contact R.Schellander@iaea.org for more information.

FAO/IAEA Plant Breeding and Genetics Newsletter 18

The January 2007 newsletter from the Plant Breeding and Genetics Section of the Joint FAO/IAEA Division of Nuclear Techniques in Food and Agriculture and the FAO/IAEA Agriculture and Biotechnology Laboratory is now available. This 20-page newsletter, issued twice a year, gives an overview of their past and upcoming events (meetings, training courses etc.), ongoing projects and publications. See http://www-naweb.iaea.org/nafa/pbg/public/pb-nl-18.pdf (706 KB) or contact k.allaf@iaea.org to request a copy.

Cartagena meetings reports: Liability/Redress - Compliance

Reports of two recent meetings held under the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety are now available. The first, the 3rd meeting of the ad hoc Open-ended Working Group on Liability and Redress in the Context of the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety, took place on 19-23 February 2007 in Montreal, Canada. The 88-page report, in Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish, is available with the meeting documents at http://www.biodiv.org/doc/meeting.asp?mtg=BSWGLR-03. The second, the 3rd meeting of the Compliance Committee under the Protocol on Biosafety, took place on 5-7 March 2007 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The 9-page report, together with the meeting documents, is available at http://www.biodiv.org/doc/meeting.aspx?mtg=BSCC-03. Contact secretariat@biodiv.org for any further information.

WTO panel report on biotechnology: UNCTAD document

The 11th annual session of the UNCTAD Trade Commission took place on 19-23 March 2007 in Geneva, Switzerland. One of the documents, entitled "WTO panel report on the EC-biotech case: Considerations for trade and development", prepared for the session deals with the World Trade Organization (WTO) panel report in the "European Communities – Measures affecting the approval and marketing of biotech products" case. See the document or contact simonetta.zarrilli@UNCTAD.org for more information. The UNCTAD Trade Commission is an intergovernmental forum that meets once a year and provides guidance for the work of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) in the area of international trade in goods, services and commodities.

OIE ad hoc Group on Biotechnology - 2nd meeting report

The 2nd meeting of the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) Ad Hoc Group on Biotechnology was held on 30-31 October 2006 in Paris, France. Among the items discussed were draft guidelines for somatic cell nuclear transfer in livestock; new vaccine technologies (e.g. DNA vaccines, plant-expressed antigens); and nanotechnology. The meeting report is now available. See http://www.oie.int/downld/SC/2007/A_BSC_Jan2007.pdf (Appendix VI, pages 45-60) or contact scientific.dept@oie.int for more information. The OIE is an inter-governmental organisation with 167 Member Countries.

GMO field trials in OECD countries

A new webpage of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) has compiled links to websites of some OECD member countries and the European Commission containing publicly available information on field trials of transgenic organisms. See the webpage or contact icgb@oecd.org for more information.

February

Two manuals on avian flu

As part of its Animal Production and Health Manuals series, FAO has just published two new manuals on highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI). The first, entitled "Wild bird highly pathogenic avian influenza surveillance: Sample collection from healthy, sick and dead birds", by K. Rose, S. Newman, M. Uhart and J. Lubroth, aims to provide brief guidelines on the sampling methods to use when conducting wildlife surveillance, or a morbidity/mortality investigation. Topics covered include animal handling, proper methods for collecting and transporting diagnostic samples related to investigation of avian diseases such as avian influenza, West Nile virus and Newcastle disease. Chapter 9 deals with diagnostics, including e.g. use of molecular methods. The second, entitled "Preparing for highly pathogenic avian influenza", by V. Martin, A. Forman and J. Lubroth, is intended to assist national animal health authorities and other stakeholders consider the needs for preparing for a possible incursion of HPAI, to detect disease at the earliest opportunity and to respond as rapidly as possible to contain the disease. Chapter 4, dedicated to 'preparing for an outbreak', discusses, inter alia, use of recombinant vaccines and laboratory diagnosis. See the first and second manual or contact juan.lubroth@fao.org for more information.

Voluntary guidelines for the responsible management of planted forests

As part of its Planted Forests and Trees Working Papers series, FAO's Forestry Department has just published "Responsible management of planted forests: Voluntary guidelines". The paper describes guiding principles for the sustainable management and use of planted forests, as well as key guidelines for each principle, and then considers selected cross-cutting issues that are important for effective implementation of the principles and guidelines, such as 'operational planning and management', where 11 issues, including biotechnology and genetic modification, are discussed. The guidelines were derived through an extensive multi-stakeholder process coordinated by FAO over a two year period. Papers in this series report on issues and activities in the planted forests sector and their purpose is to provide early release of information on ongoing activities and programmes and to stimulate discussion. See http://www.fao.org/docrep/009/j9256e/j9256e00.htm or contact Jim.Carle@fao.org for more information or to provide any comments and feedback.

Tsetse and Trypanosomiasis Information volume 29

The latest Tsetse and Trypanosomiasis Information bulletin is now available on the web. Published twice a year by FAO, the bulletin contains news and publication abstracts, aiming to collate and disseminate current information on all aspects of tsetse and trypanosomiasis research and control to institutions and individuals involved in the problems of African trypanosomiasis (a vector-borne disease affecting people and animals caused by various species of blood parasites called trypanosomes). The bulletin commonly includes items involving applications of polymerase chain reaction methods and the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay to the disease. See the latest 121-page bulletin (in English and French) or contact MariaGrazia.Solari@fao.org to subscribe to the bulletin.

New book from the FAO Biotechnology Forum

FAO Research and Technology Paper 11, entitled "Results from the FAO Biotechnology Forum: Background and dialogue on selected issues", by J. Ruane and A. Sonnino, has now been published. The 152-page book presents the background and summary documents from a series of six moderated e-mail conferences hosted by the FAO Biotechnology Forum from 2002 to 2005, relating to agricultural biotechnology for the crop, forestry, animal, fisheries and agro-industry sectors in developing countries. Three of the six conferences focused on genetically modified organisms (GMOs), dealing with gene flow from GM to non-GM populations; regulation of GMOs; and participation of the rural people in decision-making regarding GMOs. Two conferences covered the entire range of biotechnology tools (including GMOs), dealing with the role and focus of biotechnology in the agricultural research agenda and, secondly, applications of biotechnology in food processing. The remaining conference dealt with molecular marker-assisted selection. See http://www.fao.org/docrep/009/a0744e/a0744e00.HTM (917 KB) or contact Charlotte.Lietaer@fao.org to request a copy.

FAO e-mail conference on water scarcity and agricultural biotechnologies

The background document for the FAO e-mail conference entitled "Coping with water scarcity in developing countries: What role for agricultural biotechnologies?" is now available. The 16-page document gives an overview of the current status and future perspectives regarding water availability and use on Earth as well as a discussion of some major strategies that can be employed to deal with water scarcity. It then looks at the issue of water use in agriculture in more detail as well as some of the potential ways in which biotechnology could contribute to this area (e.g. increasing the efficiency of water use in agriculture; application of mycorrhizal fungi; or improving wastewater treatment). See http://www.fao.org/biotech/C14doc.htm or contact biotech-admin@fao.org to request a copy. The moderated e-mail conference runs from 5 March to 1 April 2007 and is organised by the FAO Biotechnology Forum, in collaboration with colleagues in FAO's water programme, to coincide with the World Water Day which is celebrated each year on 22 March. To join the Forum (and also register for the conference), send an e-mail to mailserv@mailserv.fao.org leaving the subject blank and entering only the following text on two separate lines:

subscribe BIOTECH-L

subscribe biotech-room2

Forum members wishing to register for the conference should leave out the first line of the above message. For more information, contact biotech-mod2@fao.org.

Safety assessment of foods derived from modern biotechnology - Workshop report

On 31 October and 1 November 2006, a training-of-trainers workshop on "Safety assessment of foods derived from modern biotechnology – Biosafety within a Biosecurity framework" was held in Ottawa, Canada, organized by FAO in collaboration with the Government of Canada. The summary report of the workshop is now available. The workshop was held as one of a series of biosafety-related activities within a Biosecurity framework. The overall objective of the project is to provide a standardized training package to assist countries in implementing international texts related to the food safety assessment of products derived from modern biotechnology. The purpose of the workshop was to pilot test the training package. See the report or contact food-quality@fao.org for more information.

Genetic and reproductive technologies and animal genetic resources

As part of its Background Study Paper series, the FAO Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture has just published "The state of development of biotechnologies as they relate to the management of animal genetic resources and their potential application in developing countries" by K. Boa-Amponsem and G. Minozzi. The paper reviews literature, particularly that published after 1999, on the current state of development of genetic and reproductive technologies, and evaluates their potential impact on the utilization and conservation of locally adapted animal genetic resources for the sustainable intensification of production systems. See ftp://ftp.fao.org/ag/cgrfa/BSP/bsp33e.pdf or contact dad-is@fao.org for more information.

Codex Task Force on Foods Derived from Biotechnology - Report of 6th session

The Codex Ad Hoc Intergovernmental Task Force on Foods Derived from Biotechnology held its 6th session from 27 November to 1 December 2006 in Chiba, Japan. The report of the meeting is now available. See document ALINORM 07/30/34, with links to the agenda and documents, at http://www.codexalimentarius.net/web/archives.jsp or contact codex@fao.org for further information.

Codex Committee on Food Labelling - 35th Session

The 35th Session of the Codex Committee on Food Labelling takes place from 30 April to 4 May 2007 in Ottawa, Canada. Item nr. 5 on the provisional agenda is "Labelling of foods and food ingredients obtained through certain techniques of genetic modification / genetic engineering". See the meeting agenda, with links to the meeting documents, at http://www.codexalimentarius.net/web/current.jsp (in English, French and Spanish) or contact codex@fao.org for further information.

Reviewing existing regulatory frameworks on plant protection

As part of its FAO Legal Papers Online series, the FAO Legal Office has recently published "Guidelines for the revision of national phytosanitary legislation" by J. Vapnek and D. Manzella. The guidelines attempt to distil the experience gained and lessons learned during the implementation of FAO legal assistance activities in the phytosanitary field in recent years, carried out in close collaboration with the Plant Protection Division of FAO’s Agriculture Department. The publication also takes into account the issue of plants, or plant products, that are living modified organisms (LMOs) when drafting or amending phytosanitary legislation. See http://www.fao.org/Legal/prs-ol/lpo63.pdf or contact devlaw@fao.org to request a copy.

Foot-and-Mouth Disease - Meeting report

The Research Group of the Standing Technical Committee of the European Commission for the Control of Foot-and-Mouth Disease (EUFMD) met in Closed and Open Sessions on 16-20 October 2006 in Paphos, Cyprus. The draft report of the Open Session plus some of the papers presented there are now available on the web. Issues covered at the Open Session included epidemiology and surveillance of the disease; vaccine control; vaccine application; and diagnostics. The EUFMD is a regional Commission established under the auspices of FAO in 1954. See the report or contact keith.sumption@fao.org for more information.

JECFA Compendium of Food Additive Specifications

As part of the FAO JECFA Monographs series, the "Compendium of Food Additive Specifications" has just been published, containing specifications of identity and purity prepared at the 67th meeting of the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA), held in Rome on 20-29 June 2006. During the meeting the "General Specifications and Considerations for Enzyme Preparations Used in Food Processing" were revised by the Committee, where e.g. recommendations for naming enzymes in JECFA specifications monographs, including enzymes from microorganisms containing recombinant DNA, were included and where the list of references to international documents pertaining to foods and food ingredients from plants and microorganisms containing recombinant DNA was updated. JECFA is an international expert scientific committee that has been meeting since 1956, initially to evaluate the safety of food additives and later to also include the evaluation of contaminants, naturally occurring toxicants and residues of veterinary drugs in food. See http://www.fao.org/docrep/009/a0675e/a0675e00.htm or contact jecfa@fao.org for more information.

FAO/IAEA Insect Pest Control Newsletter 67

The latest newsletter from the Insect Pest Control Section of the Joint FAO/IAEA Division of Nuclear Techniques in Food and Agriculture and the FAO/IAEA Agriculture and Biotechnology Laboratory is available on the web. The 41-page newsletter, issued twice a year, gives an overview of activities of the Section, which include research into the application of molecular biology for the development of modified strains of insects for future pest control applications. See http://www-naweb.iaea.org/nafa/ipc/public/ipc-nl-67.pdf (1.4 MB) or contact w.enkerlin@iaea.org to subscribe to the newsletter.

Two new UNEP-GEF biosafety publications

The UNEP-GEF Biosafety Unit has just released two new publications on the web. The first, entitled "A comparative analysis of experiences and lessons from the UNEP-GEF biosafety projects", is a study looking at the 124 countries that participated in the UNEP-GEF Project for Development of National Biosafety Frameworks (NBF), which began in June 2001, as well as the 8 countries that participated in the UNEP-GEF demonstration projects for the implementation of the NBFs. These projects were implemented by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) under the Global Environment Facility (GEF) Initial Strategy for assisting countries to prepare for entry into force of the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety. The 49-page study focuses on a comparative analysis of their experiences in order to draw out lessons and best practices applicable to other global initiatives for implementation of multilateral environmental agreements. See the document (1.1 MB). The second publication is a 4-page brief entitled "Building biosafety capacity: The role of UNEP and the Biosafety Unit". See the document or contact biosafety@unep.ch for more information about either publication.

OIE Ad Hoc Group on Biotechnology

The report of the meeting of the OIE Biological Standards Commission (BSC) that took place on 13-15 September 2006 in Paris, France is now available on the web. The BSC is one of the four Specialist Commissions of the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) and the role of the Specialist Commissions is to use current scientific information to study problems of epidemiology and the prevention and control of animal diseases, to develop and revise OIE's international standards and to address scientific and technical issues raised by Member Countries. A number of Ad Hoc Groups, including one on biotechnology, work under the auspices of the BSC and their reports are included as Appendices to the BSC meeting reports. The OIE Ad Hoc Group on Biotechnology held its first meeting on 3-5 April 2006 in Paris, France and its report is included in this BSC meeting report (pages 19-33). See http://www.oie.int/downld/SC/2006/A_BSC_2006S.pdf (562 KB) or contact scientific.dept@oie.int for more information. The OIE is an inter-governmental organisation with 167 Member Countries.

Africa Rice Congress presentations

The first Africa Rice Congress was held in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania from 31 July to 4 August 2006. Organised by the Africa Rice Center (WARDA), papers at the congress considered the issues of integrated pest management; socio-economics; natural resource management; technology transfer; and rice breeding and crop improvement (covering e.g. genomics and use of genetic markers). Presentations from the congress are now available on the web. See the presentations or contact warda@cgiar.org for more information.

UN General Assembly resolution on the CBD

At its 61st session, the General Assembly of the United Nations adopted resolution 61/204 on the Convention on Biological Diversity, including its Cartagena Protocol. See document A/RES/61/204 at http://www.un.org/Depts/dhl/resguide/r61.htm or contact secretariat@biodiv.org for more information.

Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety - Meetings documents

Official and information documents are now available on the web for a number of upcoming meetings to be held under the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety. The 3rd meeting of the ad hoc Open-ended Working Group on Liability and Redress in the Context of the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety takes place on 19-23 February 2007 in Montreal, Canada - http://www.biodiv.org/doc/meeting.asp?mtg=BSWGLR-03. The 3rd Coordination Meeting for Governments and Organizations implementing and/or funding Biosafety Capacity-building Activities takes place on 26-28 February 2007 in Lusaka, Zambia - http://www.biodiv.org/doc/meeting.asp?mtg=BSCMCB-03. The 4th meeting of the Liaison Group on Capacity-Building for Biosafety takes place on 1-2 March 2007 in Lusaka, Zambia - http://www.biodiv.org/doc/meeting.asp?mtg=BSLGCB-04. The 3rd meeting of the Compliance Committee under the Protocol on Biosafety takes place on 5-7 March 2007 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia - http://www.biodiv.org/doc/meeting.aspx?mtg=BSCC-03. Some of the documents from these meetings are available in English only and others are provided in all UN languages (i.e. Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish). Contact secretariat@biodiv.org for any further information.

Guide to the Aarhus Convention

Jointly published by the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the book entitled "Your right to a healthy environment: A simplified guide to the Aarhus Convention on Access to Information, Public Participation in Decision-making and Access to Justice in Environmental Matters" is now available on the web in English, French and Russian. The 18-page guide aims to present the rights and obligations under the Aarhus Convention in plain, easy-to-understand language. At their 2nd meeting in Kazakhstan in 2005, Parties to the Convention adopted an amendment to the Convention aiming to strengthen the rights of the public to participate in decision-making on genetically modified organisms. See http://www.unep.org/dec/information/public_information.html#pp or contact public.participation@unece.org for more information.

OECD workshop on impacts of biotechnology

On 11 December 2006, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development held a workshop in Paris, France, on "Measuring the impacts of biotechnology" that was divided into four sessions: general issues of the impacts of biotechnology applications; the economic and non-economic impacts; user needs; and methodological issues and next steps. A preliminary workshop summary plus papers and presentations from the workshop, including one from FAO on the socio-economic impact of non-transgenic crop biotechnologies in developing countries, are now available on the web. See the summary or contact brigitte.vanbeuzekom@oecd.org for more information.

2006

December

Searchable biotechnology glossary now includes Arabic

The web-based searchable version of the FAO Glossary of Biotechnology for Food and Agriculture has now been extended to include Arabic. For each of the over 3,000 Arabic terms used in agricultural biotechnology that are covered in the database, the definition and English translation as well as links to related terms are provided. Addition of the Arabic glossary represents a further development of this multi-lingual biotechnology database which previously covered English, French and Spanish only. See http://www.fao.org/biotech/index_glossary.asp?lang=ar or contact andrea.sonnino@fao.org for more information.

FAO Research and Extension Portal

FAO has just launched a Research and Extension Portal, to act as a gateway to sound information on research, technology (including biotechnology), extension and their linkages for decision-makers, research institutes, extension services, regulatory bodies and the general public. The Portal offers free access to publications and databases covering topics related to policies, capacity building, human development and methodologies. It also integrates material from different databases on technology; funding for research and extension; and on contacts in research institutions worldwide. See http://www.fao.org/sd/sdrr/portal/ (in English, French and Spanish) or contact sdrr-portal@fao.org with comments or to provide new content.

Plant breeding and biotechnology capacity survey: More national reports

As part of the global survey that FAO is carrying out to assess national plant breeding and associated biotechnology capacity, draft reports are now available on the web for an additional 12 countries: Bulgaria, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Lebanon, Moldova, Nicaragua, Niger, Oman, Slovakia, Thailand and Turkey, bringing the total up to 37 countries. See the "What's new" section of http://apps3.fao.org/wiews/wiews.jsp or contact elcio.guimaraes@fao.org for more information.

IPRs and plant genetic resources - Spanish

On 18-20 October 2006, a workshop entitled "Los derechos de propiedad intelectual en el ámbito de los recursos fitogenéticos", on intellectual property rights (IPRs) in relation to plant genetic resources was held in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Presentations from the workshop, which also considered the role of IPRs in transfer of technologies, including biotechnologies, are now available on the web. The workshop was organised by FODEPAL, in collaboration with REDBIO, both of which are projects based at the FAO Regional Office for Latin America and the Caribbean in Santiago, Chile. See http://www.fodepal.org/Seminarios/seminarioDPI/index.html (in Spanish) or contact rlc-fodepal@fao.org for more information.

Fourth session of animal genetic resources working group

The 4th Session of the Intergovernmental Technical Working Group on Animal Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (ITWG-AnGR) takes place on 13-15 December 2006 at FAO Headquarters, Rome, Italy. During the meeting the ITWG-AnGR will, inter alia, review the first draft of "The State of the World's Animal Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture", which incorporates reports from 169 countries and international organizations, and represents the most comprehensive assessment of global farm animal genetic diversity attempted so far. The 449-page draft also covers issues such as applications of molecular markers and reproductive technologies. See the meeting documents at http://www.fao.org/ag/againfo/programmes/en/genetics/angrvent-docs.html or contact dad-is@fao.org for more information. The ITWG-AnGR was established by the Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture in 1997 to address issues relevant to the conservation and sustainable use of animal genetic resources for food and agriculture and is composed of a total of 27 Member Nations from the different world regions.

Hatchery culture of bivalves

As part of its FAO Fisheries Technical Papers series, the FAO Fisheries Department published in 2004 "Hatchery culture of bivalves: A practical manual" by M.M. Helm, N. Bourne and A. Lovatelli. It is a synthesis of the current methodologies applicable to the intensive hatchery culture of bivalve molluscs covering similarities and differences in approach in rearing clams, oysters and scallops in different climatic regions. Among other things, the manual covers culture of microalgae (as food for bivalves) as well as applications of molecular genetics and polyploidy. The manual is now also available in Chinese, French and Spanish. See http://www.globefish.org/index.php?id=3254 or contact FI-Inquiries@fao.org for more information.

Codex Committee on Methods of Analysis and Sampling - 28th Session

The 28th Session of the Codex Committee on Methods of Analysis and Sampling takes place on 5-9 March 2007 in Budapest, Hungary. Item 6 on the provisional agenda is "Criteria for the methods for the detection and identification of foods derived from biotechnology". See the meeting agenda at http://www.codexalimentarius.net/web/current.jsp (in English, French and Spanish) or contact codex@fao.org for further information.

The OARE initiative

The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), Yale University and leading science and technology publishers launched the Online Access to Research in the Environment (OARE) initiative on 30 October 2006. For 70 low-income countries, free access is provided to over 1,200 environment related scientific journals, some of which cover applications of biotechnology in food and agriculture. Eligible institutions whose staff and students may have access to the journals are: universities and colleges, professional training schools, research institutes, Ministries of Environment and Natural Resources, government offices and agencies, academies of sciences, science libraries and indigenous non-governmental organisations. The initiative is built and managed in close partnership with the Health InterNetwork Access to Research Initiative (HINARI) and Access to Global Online Research in Agriculture (AGORA), two similar initiatives launched by the World Health Organization (WHO) and FAO for the medical and agricultural sciences respectively. See http://www.oaresciences.org/en/ (in English, French and Spanish) or contact oare@oaresciences.org for more information.

OECD Biotechnology Update 17

Issue number 17 (December 2006) of the OECD Biotechnology Update is now available. Presented by OECD's Internal Co-ordination Group on Biotechnology, the 25-page newsletter provides updated information on the diverse activities at the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development related to biotechnology. It contains items on news, recent and future events, recent and future publications (many are available free of charge) and provides web and e-mail contacts for the different areas of activity. See http://www.oecd.org/dataoecd/37/35/37785967.doc (353 KB) or contact icgb@oecd.org for more information.

Applied economics literature about the impact of GM crops

As part of its EPT (Environment and Production Technology Division) Discussion Papers series, the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) has recently published "Parables: Applied economics literature about the impact of genetically engineered crop varieties in developing economies" by M. Smale and co-authors. The 83-page paper reviews the applied economics literature about the impact of transgenic crop varieties in non-industrialised agricultural systems, with an emphasis on methods rather than findings. See http://www.ifpri.org/divs/eptd/dp/papers/eptdp158.pdf (433 KB) or contact ifpri-ept@cgiar.org for more information.

October

Evaluation of FAO Biotechnology PAIA - Survey results

As part of an overall strategy of enhancing interdisciplinarity within FAO, a number of priority areas for interdisciplinary action (PAIAs) were identified a few years ago. One of these was biotechnology and a major role of the Biotechnology PAIA has been to provide factual, comprehensive and updated information about agricultural biotechnology. This is done through, for example, the FAO Biotechnology website, the newsletter FAO-BiotechNews, and a series of e-mail conferences hosted by the FAO Biotechnology Forum. An evaluation of the Biotechnology PAIA took place at the end of 2005 where stakeholders were invited to fill out a questionnaire soliciting their views on the Biotechnology PAIA activities. In response, a total of 174 questionnaires were received, from over 60 different countries with over half of the questionnaires coming from people living in developing countries. A 7-page summary of the survey results is now available on the web. See http://www.fao.org/biotech/docs/surveyfaopaia.pdf or contact biotech-admin@fao.org to request a copy by e-mail.

Report of FAO Regional Conference for Africa

The report is now available of the 24th FAO Regional Conference for Africa that took place from 30 January to 3 February 2006 in Bamako, Republic of Mali. The conference agenda included a discussion item on the "African Seeds and Biotechnology Programme" and an information item on "Policy and regulation of biotechnology in food production". See the report, as well as the conference documents, at http://www.fao.org/Unfao/Bodies/RegConferences/arc24/24arc_en.htm (in Arabic, English, French and Spanish) or contact rafwebmaster@fao.org for more information. The FAO Regional Conference meets every two years and was attended by 171 delegates from 41 Member Nations of the Region.

Biotechnology policy documents of FAO members

The annotated list of on-line biotechnology policy documents of FAO members has just been updated on the FAO Biotechnology website. Most of the 22 entries are national policy documents, covering applications of biotechnology in food and agriculture as well as in other areas, such as pharmaceuticals and human health care. See http://www.fao.org/biotech/country.asp (available in Arabic, Chinese, English, French and Spanish) or contact biotech-website@fao.org to provide comments.

Codex Task Force on Foods Derived from Biotechnology - 6th Session

The 6th Session of the Codex Ad Hoc Intergovernmental Task Force on Foods Derived from Biotechnology takes place in Chiba, Japan from 27 November to 1 December 2006. The provisional agenda, providing also links to the relevant documents (working texts and circular letters), is available. See http://www.codexalimentarius.net/web/current.jsp (in English, French and Spanish) or contact codex@fao.org for further information. The Joint FAO/WHO Codex Alimentarius Commission is an intergovernmental body set up to establish international standards on foods.

FAO Biotechnology Documents webpage updated

The annotated list of on-line documents available on the FAO Biotechnology website has recently been updated. It currently provides over 150 web links to a wide range of freely-downloadable articles, books, meeting reports, proceedings and studies published by FAO, or prepared in collaboration with FAO, in recent years concerning biotechnology in food and agriculture. The webpage (http://www.fao.org/biotech/doc.asp) is available in Arabic, Chinese, English, French and Spanish and many of the documents are available in several languages. For more information, contact biotech-website@fao.org.

Evaluation of safety of enzymes produced by GM microorganisms

The Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA) is an international expert scientific committee that has been meeting since 1956, initially to evaluate the safety of food additives and later to also include the evaluation of contaminants, naturally occurring toxicants and residues of veterinary drugs in food. The Committee is in the process of developing guidelines on the safety evaluation of enzymes produced by genetically modified microorganisms. The guidelines should address what information is essential for different enzyme preparations and what details of molecular characterization of the producing microbial strain are necessary to allow adequate assessment of its safety. In advance of its next meeting (to be held on 19–28 June 2007 in Geneva, Switzerland) comments on these considerations are welcome. See ftp://ftp.fao.org/ag/agn/jecfa/jecfa68_call.pdf (page 9) or contact jecfa@fao.org for more information.

Publication on biotechnology and genetic resources

The FAO publication entitled "The role of biotechnology in exploring and protecting agricultural genetic resources" is now available in HTML format. The book aims to provide an updated overview of the current status of the world's genetic resources for food and agriculture, of the use of biotechnology tools for characterizing and conserving these genetic resources, and of the many specific issues involved in applying them in developing countries. See the book at http://www.fao.org/docrep/009/a0399e/a0399e00.htm; an FAO news story (in Arabic, English, French and Spanish) about the book at http://www.fao.org/newsroom/en/news/2006/1000355/index.html or contact Charlotte.Lietaer@fao.org to request a copy.

AGORA initiative expanded

The Access to Global Online Research in Agriculture (AGORA) initiative was set up by FAO in 2003 together with major publishers to provide free or low-cost access to leading scientific journals in agriculture and related biological, environmental and social sciences to public institutions in developing countries. Originally dealing with 69 low-income countries, it has now been expanded in its second phase to include universities, colleges, research institutes and government ministries as well as non-governmental organisations in an additional 37 lower-middle income countries. The initiative provides access to over 900 journals, many dealing directly or indirectly with biotechnology. See http://www.aginternetwork.org/en/index.php (in Arabic, English, French or Spanish) or contact agora@fao.org for further information.

Biopesticides for desert locus control

As part of its on-line "Focus on the issues" series, FAO's Media Relations Office has just released "Biological control of locusts: New weapons for old enemies", describing the age-old battle against the desert locus and the potential benefits of biopesticides such as Green Muscle, containing spores of the pathogenic fungus Metarhizium anisopliae, that was developed by the International Institute for Tropical Agriculture and manufactured in South Africa. See http://www.fao.org/newsroom/en/focus/2006/1000345/index.html (in Arabic, English, French, Italian and Spanish) or contact eclo@fao.org for more information.

Risk assessment and regulation of transgenic insect release

On 8-12 April 2002, a meeting on the "Status and risk assessment of the use of transgenic arthropods in plant protection" was held at FAO Headquarters, Rome, organised by the Joint FAO/IAEA Division of Nuclear Techniques in Food and Agriculture and the Secretariat of the International Plant Protection Convention. The goals of the meeting were to review the current status of transgenesis in pest arthropods; identify risks associated with the release of transgenic arthropods; and draft provisional risk assessment protocols. Proceedings of the meeting (155 pages) are now available on the web. See theproceedings (1.6 MB) or contact A.Robinson@iaea.org for more information.

FAO/IAEA Plant Breeding and Genetics Newsletter 17

The July 2006 newsletter from the Plant Breeding and Genetics Section of the Joint FAO/IAEA Division of Nuclear Techniques in Food and Agriculture and the FAO/IAEA Agriculture and Biotechnology Laboratory is now available. This 23-page newsletter, issued twice a year, gives an overview of their past and upcoming events (meetings, training courses etc.), ongoing projects and publications. See http://www-naweb.iaea.org/nafa/pbg/public/pb-nl-17.pdf (1.2 MB) or contact k.allaf@iaea.org to request a copy.

FAO/IAEA Animal Production and Health Newsletter 44

The July 2006 newsletter (nr. 44) from the Animal Production and Health Section of the Joint FAO/IAEA Division of Nuclear Techniques in Food and Agriculture and the FAO/IAEA Agriculture and Biotechnology Laboratory is now available. The 22-page newsletter, issued twice a year, gives an overview of past and upcoming projects, publications and events. The editorial discusses the issue of rapid diagnosis and characterisation of avian influenza, particularly with respect to molecular tools. See http://www-naweb.iaea.org/nafa/aph/public/ap-nl-44.pdf (0.8 MB) or contact R.Schellander@iaea.org for more information.

First issue of Biosafety Protocol News

Coinciding with the 3rd anniversary of the entry into force of the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety, the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity has just published the 1st issue of Biosafety Protocol News. Its purpose is to "provide Parties, other Governments, relevant agencies and other stakeholders with a medium to exchange information and news regarding their efforts to implement and promote awareness of the Protocol. The newsletter will also serve as an important platform for Governments and relevant stakeholders to share experiences and lessons learned, highlight ongoing partnerships and cooperation, and showcase their capacity-building projects and activities". See http://www.biodiv.org/doc/newsletters/default.asp#bpn (in PDF or rich text format) or contact BPN@biodiv.org for more information.

International trade in biotechnology products - Training module

As part of a series of training modules on trade negotiations prepared by its Trade Negotiations and Commercial Diplomacy Branch, the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development has produced a 90-page training module on the World Trade Organization (WTO) Agreement on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures. The module aims to provide training materials and inputs for developing countries’ trainers, lecturers and government officials involved in training and research tasks on the multilateral rules governing the application of sanitary and phytosanitary measures in international trade. Annex III of the module focuses on international trade in biotechnology products, in particular GMOs, with a summary of domestic GMO regulations, the WTO legal framework applicable to trade in biotechnology products, other applicable legal regimes, such as the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety, and associated concerns. See http://www.unctad.org/Templates/Page.asp?intItemID=3890&lang=1 (in English and Spanish) or contact trade.negotiations@unctad.org for more information.

Biosafety in plant biotechnology course

The Marche Polytechnic University, Italy, is hosting an international academically accredited course on biosafety based on a combination of distance-learning and on-campus training sessions. The training material and distance learning platform for the 12-month programme have been developed by the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO). The course is open to 30 students, takes place in the English language and starts on 20 November 2006. Deadline for registration is 12 November. See more or contact b.mezzetti@univpm.it for more information.

CBD report to the UN General Assembly

The General Assembly of the United Nations (UN) opened its 61st session on 12 September 2006 at the UN Headquarters in New York, United States. One of the 154 items to be considered concerns sustainable development and covers implementation of UN environmental conventions, containing a report by the Executive Secretary of the Convention on Biological Diversity on the ongoing work regarding the Convention, including the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety. See http://www.un.org/ga/61/issues/sustdev.shtml (item 53 (f), report available in Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish) or contact secretariat@biodiv.org for more information. The General Assembly occupies a central position as the chief deliberative, policy-making and representative organ of the UN. It meets in regular session each year from September to December, and thereafter as required.

Risk assessment and management of GMOs in Australia

As part of its EPT (Environment and Production Technology Division) Discussion Papers series, the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) has recently published "Risk assessment and management of genetically modified organisms under Australia's Gene Technology Act" by N. Linacre and co-authors. The 21-page paper examines some of the potential regulatory issues that may be affecting the review process and approval of transgenic technologies in Australia. See http://www.ifpri.org/divs/eptd/dp/papers/eptdp157.pdf (289 KB) or contact ifpri-ept@cgiar.org for more information.

CGIAR Virtual Library

The Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) recently launched the CGIAR Virtual Library, an internet gateway allowing users to search the online libraries of the CGIAR centres as well as more than 160 outside databases. It provides access to over 4,000 e-journals as well as full-text documents, abstracts and references from pre-selected databases that are grouped according to information type (e.g. CGIAR libraries, reference books, news) or subject (e.g. fish, forestry, genetic resources, water) or database groupings created by the user. See http://vlibrary.cgiar.org or contact cgvlibrary@cgiar.org for more information.

WTO panel on biotechnology disputes - Final report

The World Trade Organization recently issued the final report of the panel that had examined complaints by the United States, Canada and Argentina against "European Communities – Measures affecting the approval and marketing of biotech products" (disputes DS291, DS292 and DS293 respectively). In addition to a number of Annexes, the report covers 1087 pages, organised into the following main sections - Introduction (begins page 1); Factual aspects (3); Complaining parties' requests for findings and recommendations (4); Arguments of the parties (5); Arguments of third parties (228); Interim review (248); Findings (282); and Conclusions and recommendations (1067). See the report (in English, French and Spanish, downloadable in PDF or Word format) as well as summaries of the three disputes at http://www.wto.org/english/news_e/news06_e/291r_e.htm or contact enquiries@wto.org for more information.

Directory of biosafety organisations - BCH

The Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity recently announced the launch of a new directory of organisations involved in biosafety activities. Accessible through the Biosafety Clearing House (BCH), the directory profiles the nature of work undertaken by each institution, focusing on its relevance to biosafety, and provides detailed contact information as well as links to relevant records in the BCH. It currently contains 134 records. See http://bch.biodiv.org/resources/organizations.shtml or contact bch@biodiv.org for more information.

UNCTAD-ICTSD documents on intellectual property rights

As part of the Capacity Building Project on Intellectual Property Rights (IPRs) and Sustainable Development, implemented by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) and the International Centre for Trade and Sustainable Development (ICTSD), a research paper entitled "The genetic use restriction technologies, intellectual property rights and sustainable development in Eastern and Southern Africa", has just been published by P. Kameri-Mbote and J. Otieno-Odek. Produced in collaboration with the Trade Law Centre for Southern Africa, the 47-page paper examines the interface between GURTs and IPRs on sustainable use of agro-biodiversity and food security. See http://www.iprsonline.org/resources/docs/Gurtz%20paper%20final.doc (227 KB). As part of the same project, "Exceptions to patent rights in developing countries" by C. Garrison is now also available, a paper (92 pages) which discusses, inter alia, exceptions to patent rights for the case of plant varieties (section 4.11). See http://www.unctad.org/en/docs/iteipc200612_en.pdf (990 KB) or contact ictsd@ictsd.ch for more information.

Safety assessment of foods derived from GM animals - Call for experts

FAO and the World Health Organization (WHO) are planning to convene jointly an expert consultation in early 2007 that will aim to provide scientific advice and information on issues related to the conducting of food safety assessment of foods derived from recombinant-DNA animals. FAO and WHO are now seeking experts interested in participating in the meeting. Deadline for applications is 15 October. For more details on the consultation and the selection process of experts, see http://www.fao.org/ag/AGN/food/risk_biotech_consultations_en.stm or contact ezzeddine.boutrif@fao.org.

Aquatic animal genetic improvement - Workshop proceedings

On 21-22 September 2005, the WorldFish Center in collaboration with the China Academy of Fishery Sciences organized the international "Workshop on dissemination of improved fish strains: Country-specific action plans" in Shanghai, China. Proceedings (120 pages) of the workshop are now available, edited by R.W. Ponzoni, B.O. Acosta and A.G. Ponniah, entitled "Development of aquatic animal genetic improvement and dissemination programs: current status and action plans". They are split into two PDF files on the web: the first containing papers presented at the workshop, including one on potential applications of reproductive and molecular genetic technologies, and the second (page 51 onwards) providing a synopsis of small working group discussions. See part 1 (2.3 MB) and part 2 (1.9 MB) respectively, or contact worldfishcenter@cgiar.org for more information.

Molecular markers for allele mining - Workshop proceedings

On 22-26 August 2005, a workshop on "Molecular markers for allele mining" was organised by the International Plant Genetic Resources Institute on behalf of the Generation Challenge Programme and hosted by the MS Swaminathan Research Foundation in Chennai, India. Proceedings of the workshop (85 pages) have now been published, edited by M.C. de Vicente and J.C. Glaszmann. See http://www.ipgri.cgiar.org/publications/pdf/1134.pdf (1 MB) or contact ipgri-publications@cgiar.org for more information.

GCP 2006 annual research meeting

The Generation Challenge Program (GCP) annual research meeting was held on 12-16 September 2006 in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Presentations and posters from the meeting are now available on the web. See http://www.generationcp.org/arm.php?da=0653125 or contact k.lesnick@cgiar.org for more information. The GCP is one of the Challenge Programmes approved by the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research and its aim is to "harness the rich global heritage of plant genetic resources and create a new generation of crops that meet the needs of resource-poor people".

July

GIPB Stakeholders Forum - Plant Breeding News

On 12-13 June 2006 in Madrid, Spain, the Global Partnership Initiative for Plant Breeding Capacity Building (GIPB) held a Stakeholders Forum to discuss the needs for plant breeding and related biotechnology capacities identified by developing country scientists through FAO surveys and the capabilities of GIPB partners to address those needs. A report of the meeting is now available, under Item 1.02 of the latest edition (30 June) of Plant Breeding News, an electronic newsletter on applied plant breeding sponsored by FAO and Cornell University. See the newsletter at http://www.fao.org/ag/AGP/AGPC/doc/services/pbn/pbn-168.htm (includes also instructions for subscribing) or contact elcio.guimaraes@fao.org for more information.

New standard on IPPC diagnostic protocols for regulated pests

The International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC) is an international treaty to secure action to prevent the spread and introduction of pests of plants and plant products, and to promote appropriate measures for their control. There are currently 153 Parties to the Convention and it is governed by the Commission on Phytosanitary Measures (CPM) which adopts International Standards for Phytosanitary Measures (ISPMs). At the 1st Session of the CPM, held in Rome on 3-7 April 2006, one ISPM was revised and three new ISPMs were adopted, including ISPM No. 27 entitled "Diagnostic protocols for regulated pests". This standard provides guidance on the structure and content of the IPPC diagnostic protocols for regulated pests, including information and guidance on methods (e.g. based on biochemical or molecular properties of the pest) that lead to identification of the pest. The ISPM is now available on the web. See https://www.ippc.int/id/133651?language=en (in English and French, with Arabic, Chinese and Spanish coming soon) or contact ippc@fao.org for more information.

Responsible use of antibiotics in aquaculture

As part of its FAO Fisheries Technical Papers series, the FAO Fisheries Department recently published "The responsible use of antibiotics in aquaculture" by Pilar Hernández Serrano, to raise awareness of the antibiotic resistance problem in fish farming and related sectors. The 97-page document focuses on antibiotics misuse and the concomitant threat of resistance development which is seen as a public health concern affecting the population worldwide. Aspects such as the toxicity and allergic effects of antibiotic residues, the mechanism of transmission of antimicrobial resistance and environmental impact are also taken into account. It also refers to the role of genomics and bioinformatics in the development of new antimicrobials and the use of pulsed-field gel electrophoresis to study the epidemiology of antibiotic resistance. See ftp://ftp.fao.org/docrep/fao/009/a0282e/a0282e00.pdf or contact FI-Inquiries@fao.org for more information.

Electronic Journal of Biotechnology - REDBIO Argentina 2005

The Electronic Journal of Biotechnology is a free international scientific journal that publishes papers on all areas of biotechnology, including agricultural biotechnology. It is supported, among others, by the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) MIRCEN (Microbial Resources Centres) network and has been operational since April 1998. All papers are freely available on the web and UNESCO also disseminates the journal by CD-ROM to a number of partners in developing countries. A special issue (June 2006) of the journal has just been published, including the complete versions of a significant number of papers presented during the VI Symposium of REDBIO Argentina 2005, held on 7-11 June 2005 in Buenos Aires, Argentina. REDBIO is the Technical Co-operation Network on Plant Biotechnology in Latin America and the Caribbean, based at the FAO Regional Office for Latin America and the Caribbean in Santiago, Chile. See http://www.ejbiotechnology.info or contact edbiotec@ucv.cl for more information.

UN-Biotech meeting report

The report of the 3rd meeting of UN-Biotech, the inter-agency cooperation network in biotechnology, that took place on 16 May 2006 in Geneva, Switzerland, is now available. At the meeting, the focus was on the establishment of a web portal on biotechnology and it was also agreed that FAO would hold chairmanship of UN-Biotech for the 2006-2007 biennium, with the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) continuing to act as secretariat. See http://stdev.unctad.org/docs/unbiotech3.DOC or contact menelea.masin@unctad.org for more information.

Africa Environment Outlook 2

The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) has just produced a report for the African Ministerial Conference on the Environment (AMCEN) entitled "Africa Environment Outlook 2 – Our Environment, Our Wealth". The 542-page report provides a comprehensive assessment of environmental state-and-trends, and the implications of this for human well-being and development. The report is divided into five sections, namely environment for development; environmental state-and-trends: 20-year retrospective; emerging challenges; outlook; and policy opportunities. One of the four chapters in the 'emerging challenges' section is devoted to genetically modified crops. See the report, fact sheets and information materials (press release, video, posters, Power Point presentation) at http://www.unep.org/dewa/africa/aeo2_launch/index.asp or contact nick.nuttall@unep.org for more information.

Biosafety Clearing House LMO Registry

The Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity has just announced the launch of a new central registry of living modified organisms (LMOs) in the framework of the Biosafety Clearing House of the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety, including information on the transformation event, gene insert and characteristics of the modification and its unique identification code (if available). Links to all decisions that refer to one of these organisms are provided at the bottom of each LMO record accessible through the registry. It currently contains 201 records. See http://bch.biodiv.org/news/news.shtml or contact bch@biodiv.org for more information.

UNEP-GEF project on BCH: Training course report

As part of the UNEP-GEF Project on Building Capacity for Effective Participation in the Biosafety Clearing House of the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety (CPB), the second training of trainers course for information technology (IT) and CPB regional advisors was held on 15-27 May 2006 in Bangkok, Thailand. The report of the training course is now available. See http://www.unep.ch/biosafety/BCH.htm or contact jyoti@unep.ch for more information.

Special Session of the WTO Committee on Trade and Environment

At the meeting of the Special Session of the Committee on Trade and Environment (CTE) of the World Trade Organization (WTO), held on 6-7 July 2006 in Geneva, Switzerland, the Representative of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) delivered a statement on behalf of the Executive Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), providing a brief on recent developments with regard to the CBD and its Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety that are relevant to the work of the Committee. See the statement at http://www.biodiv.org//doc/speech/2006/sp-2006-07-13-cte-en.pdf (260 KB); more information on the CTE Special Sessions at http://www.wto.org/english/tratop_e/envir_e/envir_negotiations_e.htm; or contact secretariat@biodiv.org for more information.

Functional foods: World Bank report

As part of its Agriculture and Rural Development Discussion Paper series, the World Bank has just published "Health enhancing foods: Opportunities for strengthening the sector in developing countries", by L. Kotilainen and co-authors. The 82-page report includes a general literature review of the potential generated by functional foods and an assessment of the sector in five countries (Brazil, China, India, Peru and Russia). The potential of biotechnology for the functional foods sector is also covered briefly. See the report (848 KB) or contact ard@worldbank.org for more information.

The Precautionary Principle and the WTO

The United Nations University's Institute of Advanced Studies (UNU-IAS) has recently published "Trading precaution: The Precautionary Principle and the WTO", by S. Shaw and R. Schwartz. The 17-page report examines the debate on the evolution of the Precautionary Principle in the context of the World Trade Organization (WTO) and is part of a series of studies being undertaken at the UNU-IAS to explore the differing standards for regulating biotechnology in different regimes. See the report (498 KB) or contact unuias@ias.unu.edu for more information.

Transgenic salmon: OECD workshop report

The OECD's Working Group for Harmonisation of Regulatory Oversight in Biotechnology organised an OECD Expert Workshop from 29 November to 1 December 2004 in Moscow, Russia, on the biology of Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar). The main purpose of the workshop was to take the first steps in considering whether the general approaches used in the past by the Working Group, primarily to address the safety/ risk assessment of transgenic plants, could be applicable to similar work on the safety/ risk assessment of transgenic fish. Abstracts of workshop presentations are now available. See http://appli1.oecd.org/olis/2006doc.nsf/linkto/env-jm-mono(2006)21 or contact ehscont@oecd.org for more information.

The impacts of AMBIONET

The International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) has just published "The Asian Maize Biotechnology Network (AMBIONET): A model for strengthening national agricultural research systems" by C. Pray. The 43-page report reviews the impacts of this network, which ended in 2005 and was organized by CIMMYT with funding from the Asian Development Bank to strengthen the capacity of public maize research institutions in China, India, Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam to produce high-yielding, disease resistant, stress tolerant maize cultivars. The report is organised into the following sections: history and structure of AMBIONET; framework for impact assessment; impact on Asian maize research capacity; impact on research output and productivity; impact on farmers; and conclusions: impacts and the future. See http://www.cimmyt.org/english/docs/research_report/ambionet2006.pdf (482 KB) or contact j.crouch@cgiar.org for more information

New WARDA website launched

The Africa Rice Center (WARDA), one of the 15 research centres supported by the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research, has recently launched its new website. It provides updated information about the centre (its history, structure etc.), its partnerships, publications and newsroom services as well as its research, including extensive information, inter alia, on the New Rice for Africa (NERICA) varieties developed using embryo rescue and anther culture techniques. See http://www.warda.org (in English and French) or contact warda@cgiar.org for more information.

June

FAO book on biotechnology and agricultural genetic resources

FAO has just published "The role of biotechnology in exploring and protecting agricultural genetic resources", edited by J. Ruane and A. Sonnino. This 187-page book brings together papers from an international workshop held on 5-7 March 2005 in Turin, Italy, on the role of biotechnology for the characterization and conservation of crop, forest, animal and fishery genetic resources as well as the background and summary documents from an e-mail conference on the same subject that was held three months afterwards. The book contains four chapters on the status of the world's livestock, fishery, crop and forest genetic resources respectively (Section I); two chapters on the use of cryopreservation and reproductive technologies for conservation of genetic resources (Section II); eight chapters dedicated to the use of molecular markers for characterization and conservation of genetic resources (Section III); and two chapters from the e-mail conference (Section IV). See ftp://ftp.fao.org/docrep/fao/009/a0399e/a0399e00.pdf or contact Charlotte.Lietaer@fao.org to request a copy.

Publication on FAO Biotechnology Forum translated into Chinese

FAO Research and Technology Paper 8, presenting a report of the first six moderated e-mail conferences hosted by the FAO Biotechnology Forum in 2000 and 2001, is now available in Chinese. The first four conferences dealt with the appropriateness of currently available biotechnologies in the crop, fishery, forestry and livestock sectors, while the remaining two dealt with the implications of agricultural biotechnology for hunger and food security and the impact of intellectual property rights. The publication includes the background and summary documents for each of the conferences, as well as providing an introduction; information about participation in the conferences; general conclusions and, finally, additional references. See http://www.fao.org/docrep/009/y2729c/y2729c00.htm (for the 111-page Chinese translation, as well as links to the English and Spanish versions) or contact biotech-admin@fao.org for more information. The book was co-published by the Scientech Documentation and Information Center (SDIC) of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences under FAO's Chinese Publishing Programme.

Regulation of GMOs - FAO e-conference summary document

The summary document of the FAO e-mail conference entitled "Regulating GMOs in developing and transition countries" is now available on the web. The 14-page document provides a summary of the main issues discussed during this moderated e-mail conference hosted by the FAO Biotechnology Forum from 28 April to 1 June 2003, based on the 93 messages posted, half of which came from people living in developing countries. The main topics discussed were whether it is important for developing countries to regulate GMOs; how strict a regulatory framework should be; the lack of resources and capacity for regulating GMOs; the approach to risk assessment and risk management; regulation of GM versus non-GM products; centres of origin or diversity; co-ordination and harmonization of GMO regulations between and within countries; public participation/awareness; monitoring implementation of GMO regulations; and liability. See http://www.fao.org/biotech/logs/C9/summary.htm or contact biotech-admin@fao.org to request a copy.

Codex Committee on Food Labelling - 34th session report

The report of the 34th Session of the Codex Committee on Food Labelling (CCFL) that took place on 1-5 May 2006 in Ottawa, Canada, is now available. Agenda Item 5, on "Labelling of foods and food ingredients obtained through certain techniques of genetic modification / genetic engineering", is covered in paragraphs 82-101 of the report. See document ALINORM 06/29/22 at http://www.codexalimentarius.net/web/archives.jsp or contact codex@fao.org for further information.

Codex Committee on Methods of Analysis and Sampling - 27th session report

The report of the 27th Session of the Codex Committee on Methods of Analysis and Sampling, that took place on 15-19 May 2006 in Budapest, Hungary, is now available. Agenda Item 6, on "Criteria for the methods for the detection and identification of foods derived from biotechnology", is covered in paragraphs 84-91 of the report. See document ALINORM 06/29/23 at http://www.codexalimentarius.net/web/archives.jsp or contact codex@fao.org for further information.

International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources - First meeting of Governing Body

The International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture is a legally binding instrument negotiated by FAO’s member states that came into force in June 2004. Its objectives are the conservation and sustainable use of plant genetic resources for food and agriculture and the fair and equitable sharing of benefits derived from their use. The 1st meeting of the Governing Body of the Treaty took place on 12-16 June 2006 in Madrid, Spain, attended by some 350 representatives of 120 countries and the European Union. See documents of the meeting (most are in Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish) at http://www.fao.org/ag/cgrfa/gb1.htm; three FAO press releases at http://www.fao.org/newsroom/en/news/2006/1000339/index.html (21 June), http://www.fao.org/newsroom/en/news/2006/1000324/index.html (12 June) and http://www.fao.org/newsroom/en/news/2006/1000316/index.html (8 June); or contact cgrfa@fao.org for more information

Plant breeding capacity: National surveys and new global initiative (GIPB)

As part of a global survey that FAO is carrying out to assess plant breeding and related biotechnology capacity, draft national reports are now available on the web for an additional 12 African countries i.e. Algeria, Angola, Cameroon (in French), Ghana, Malawi, Mozambique, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Sudan, Uganda and Zimbabwe. See the "What's new" section of http://apps3.fao.org/wiews/wiews.jsp or contact elcio.guimaraes@fao.org for more information. The results of this global survey are helping to identify opportunities and gaps to strengthen national capacity to use plant genetic resources for food and agriculture. At a side event during the 1st meeting of the Governing Body of the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture, held in Madrid, Spain, on 12-16 June 2006, the Global Partnership Initiative for Plant Breeding Capacity Building (GIPB) was launched. The GIPB is aimed at helping developing countries to improve their agricultural productivity through sustainable use of plant genetic resources. See a 'Spotlight' article on the GIPB at http://www.fao.org/ag/magazine/0606sp1.htm (in Arabic, Chinese, English, French and Spanish) or contact elcio.guimaraes@fao.org for more information.

Biotechnology and biosafety in Ukraine

A report on "The status of agricultural biotechnology and biosafety in Ukraine", commissioned by FAO's Research and Technology Development Service (SDRR) and the Regional Office for Europe (REU), has now been published. This 41-page report includes an overview of Ukraine's national agriculture profile; national agricultural policy; status of agricultural research; national biotechnology policy; status of biotechnology research; applications of biotechnology; regulatory frameworks; and state of information and communication needs. See http://www.fao.org/sd/dim_kn4/docs/kn4_060601d1_en.pdf or contact REUS-Research@fao.org for more information or to provide comments.

Management of elasmobranch fisheries

As part of its FAO Fisheries Technical Papers series, the FAO Fisheries Department, jointly with the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC), has just published "Management techniques for elasmobranch fisheries", edited by J.A. Musick and R. Bonfil. This 251-page manual describes the scientific principles and techniques used for resource management of elasmobranch fisheries (i.e. sharks, skates and rays) with emphasis on the particular context of elasmobranchs. Chapter 5, by E.J. Heist, deals with the use of molecular markers to estimate stock structure in marine elasmobranchs. See ftp://ftp.fao.org/docrep/fao/008/a0212e/a0212E00.pdf or contact Ross.Shotton@fao.org for more information.

Tsetse and Trypanosomiasis Information

Tsetse and Trypanosomiasis Information (TTI) is a half-yearly periodical prepared for publication, in English and French, by FAO. It was established to collate and disseminate current information on all aspects of tsetse and trypanosomiasis research and control to institutions and individuals involved in the problems of African trypanosomiasis. The latest TTI bulletin is now available, providing news as well as abstracts of scientific papers and reports. Tsetse fly transmitted trypanosomiasis is an infectious disease, affecting both people and animals, that is unique to Africa and caused by various species of blood parasites (trypanosomes). The infection has a severe impact on agriculture in sub-Saharan Africa and a variety of diagnostic tests are available, some using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) methods and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). See the latest TTI bulletin (84 pages) at http://www.fao.org/docrep/008/a0121e/a0121e00.htm, the bulletin archives (back to 1989) at http://www.fao.org/ag/againfo/programmes/en/paat/ttiq.html or contact MariaGrazia.Solari@fao.org for more information.

COP-MOP 3 and COP-8 final reports

The final reports of the 3rd Meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity serving as the meeting of the Parties to the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety (COP-MOP 3), held on 13-17 March 2006 in Curitiba, Brazil, and of the 8th Meeting of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (COP-8), held in the same place on 20-31 March 2006, are now available. See http://www.biodiv.org/doc/meetings/bs/mop-03/official/mop-03-15-en.pdf (88 pages, 0.5 MB) and http://www.biodiv.org/doc/meetings/cop/cop-08/official/cop-08-31-en.pdf (374 pages, 1.43 MB) respectively or contact secretariat@biodiv.org for more information.

World Bank report on IPRs and plant breeding in developing countries

The World Bank's Agriculture and Rural Development Department has just published "Intellectual property rights: Designing regimes to support plant breeding in developing countries". This 77-page report is based on a field study of the impact of strengthened intellectual property rights (IPRs) on the breeding industries in China, Colombia, India, Kenya and Uganda. The analysis also makes use of secondary data and interviews with stakeholders from other countries. IPRs covering biotechnology processes and products are considered on numerous occasions e.g. in chapter 5 which examines experiences in the commercial seed sector with plant variety protection and the protection of biotechnology. See http://siteresources.worldbank.org/INTARD/Resources/IPR_ESW.pdf or contact ard@worldbank.org for more information.

UNEP-GEF Project on Development of NBFs

The UNEP-GEF global Project on Development of National Biosafety Frameworks (NBFs) began in June 2001. A total of 67 countries have now completed their final draft NBFs. In addition, a study entitled "Building biosafety capacity in developing countries: Experiences of the UNEP-GEF Project on Development of National Biosafety Frameworks", looking at the experiences of the project as a capacity building initiative, is now available. See the NBFs, the study or contact biosafety@unep.ch for more information.

UNIDO South-South biosafety training network

The United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) has established a South-South capacity building network for biosafety training. The network comprises the Universities of Concepción (Chile), Malaya (Malaysia) and Dar es Salaam (Tanzania). The biosafety programme offered by the network is intended to strengthen the capacity of regulatory institutions in developing countries through the provision of quality multi-disciplinary training. The programme, targeting professionals from government, industry and academia involved in biotechnology regulation, is of twelve months duration and leads to an accredited post-graduate diploma. See http://www.unido.org/en/doc/53173 or contact g.tzotzos@unido.org for more information.

Potential of crop biotechnology for smallholder farmers in East Africa - IFPRI publication

As part of its "Research at a Glance" series, which aims to provide concise, comprehensive information on complex research issues to researchers and policy analysts, the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) has just published "Genetic resource policies: Promising crop biotechnologies for smallholder farmers in East Africa: Bananas and maize", edited by M. Smale, S. Edmeades and H. De Groote. The publication, comprising eight briefs, presents synopses of two case studies that explore the potential for integrating transgenic varieties of cooking bananas and maize into smallholder agriculture in East Africa. See http://www.ifpri.org/pubs/rag/br1004.asp or contact m.smale@cgiar.org for more information.

May

Proceedings of CABI 15th Review Conference

On 21-23 April 2004, CAB International's 15th Review Conference was held in Beijing, China. Proceedings of the conference are now available on the web, including a Special Presentation (pages 22-32) by He Changchui, the FAO Assistant Director-General and Regional Representative for Asia and the Pacific, entitled "Directing biotechnology towards the needs of the poor and sustainable agriculture". See http://www.cabi.org/pdfs/ReviewConf2004.pdf (747 KB) or contact FAO-RAP@fao.org for more information.

Plant breeding and biotechnology capacity: Reports of national surveys and a regional workshop

As part of a global survey that FAO is carrying out to assess plant breeding and related biotechnology capacity, draft reports on national plant breeding and associated biotechnology surveys are now available for Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Jordan, Kyrgyzstan, Republic of Macedonia and Zambia. In addition, as part of the same initiative, FAO organised a regional workshop on 11-12 April 2006 in Almaty, Kazakhstan, entitled "Assessing and designing strategies to strengthen national plant breeding and related biotechnology capacity in Central Asia", in collaboration with the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) and the International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA). For the workshop report, as well as the national survey reports, see the "What's new" section of http://apps3.fao.org/wiews/wiews.jsp or contact elcio.guimaraes@fao.org for more information. The global survey is being carried out to assist in designing strategies to strengthen national and regional abilities to use plant genetic resources for food and agriculture.

FAO paper on seafood-borne diseases and authentication of fishery products

As part of its FAO Fisheries Technical Paper series, the FAO Fisheries Department has published "Application of modern analytical techniques to ensure seafood safety and authenticity" by I. Martinez, D. James and H. Loréal. The first part of this 73-page publication examines traditional and modern methods (immunological, molecular biology and protein-based analyses) for the detection and typing of agents implicated in seafood-borne diseases, i.e. toxins, viruses, bacteria and parasites. The second part deals with methods to ensure seafood authenticity, including protein and DNA analysis for species identification. See http://www.fao.org/docrep/008/y5970e/y5970e00.htm or contact lahsen.ababouch@fao.org to request a copy.

Information Network on Post-harvest Operations

The latest newsletter (February 2006) from the Information Network on Post-harvest Operations (INPhO) is now available, providing information on recent publications and decision-making tools that are available on the INPhO website. These include 2 new chapters in the "Compendium on Post-harvest Operations" (on pineapple, in English and Spanish, and grapes) as well as 4 toolkits covering processing of cereals; fruits and vegetables; oilseeds; and roots and tubers. Each toolkit is a practical package that can be used by small and medium scale food processors to establish or improve a food processing enterprise, primarily in developing countries. It includes e.g. information on processing details for fermented cereal doughs, that are traditional staple products in many developing countries, or on use of fermentation in roots and tubers, the most important step during the processing of cassava and high-alkaloid varieties of potato. See http://www.fao.org/inpho or contact inpho@fao.org for more information.

Advance version of COP-MOP 3 decisions (Cartagena Protocol)

An advance version of the decisions adopted by the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity at its 3rd meeting serving as the meeting of the Parties to the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety (COP-MOP 3), that took place on 13-17 March 2006 in Curitiba, Brazil, is now available. The 65-page document is still subject to final editing and clearance. See http://www.biodiv.org/doc/meetings/bs/mop-03/mop-03-decision-advance-en.pdf (361 KB) or contact secretariat@biodiv.org for more information.

UN-Biotech meeting

The 3rd meeting of UN-Biotech took place on 16 May 2006 in Geneva, Switzerland, in conjunction with the 9th regular session of the United Nations Commission on Science and Technology for Development. UN-Biotech is an inter-agency cooperation network on biotechnology which was set up by UN agencies undertaking biotechnology-related activities, following a recommendation of the UN Secretary-General for an integrated framework for biotechnology development. The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) has coordinated the network since its launch in 2004. See background to the meeting or contact menelea.masin@unctad.org for more information.

UNCTAD study on concentration in the agricultural input industries

The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) has recently published "Tracking the trend towards market concentration: The case of the agricultural input industry", a study prepared by the UNCTAD secretariat. The 60-page report aims to first define a methodology and construct a measure of concentration of, and explore emerging patterns in, the agricultural input industries. Section I assesses concentration in the agrochemical industry while Sections II and III explore the patterns of consolidation in the seed industry and in agricultural biotechnology respectively. See http://www.unctad.org/en/docs/ditccom200516_en.pdf (795 KB) or contact olivier.matringe@unctad.org for more information.

UNEP-GEF project on BCH: Update on activities

The United Nations Environment Programme-Global Environment Facility (UNEP-GEF) Project on Building Capacity for Effective Participation in the Biosafety Clearing House (BCH) of the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety was initiated in March 2004. A number of documents from the project have recently been put on the web, including the report of a Pacific islands sub-regional meeting on “Implementation of national biosafety frameworks and regional cooperation, including the establishment of a pacific regional node of the BCH" held on 21-25 November 2005 in Apia, Samoa; the report of the "BCH training of trainers course for information technology and Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety regional advisors" held from 31 January to 12 February 2005 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; two bi-annual project progress reports (June 2005 and December 2005); five BCH training modules; and an on-line training workshop module which provides guidelines on how a BCH training program can be conducted. See http://www.unep.ch/biosafety/BCH.htm or contact jyoti@unep.ch for more information.

World Bank papers - GM cotton

As part of its Policy Research Working Paper series, the World Bank has recently published 2 studies on genetically modified cotton. The first, paper 3917, is entitled "Recent and prospective adoption of genetically modified cotton: A global computable general equilibrium analysis of economic impacts" by K. Anderson, E. Valenzuela and L.A. Jackson. The second, paper 3918, is entitled "The World Trade Organization's Doha cotton initiative: A tale of two issues" by K. Anderson and E. Valenzuela. The Policy Research Working Paper Series disseminates findings of work in progress to encourage the exchange of ideas about development issues. See http://econ.worldbank.org/resource.php?type=5 or contact research@worldbank.org for more information.

OECD biotechnology statistics - 2006

The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) has just published "OECD biotechnology statistics - 2006" by B. van Beuzekom and A. Arundel. The 157-page report includes data for 23 OECD countries and 2 observer countries, plus China (Shanghai) and comparable indicators given include the number of biotechnology firms, business expenditures on biotechnology research and development (R&D), biotechnology R&D in the public sector, biotechnology employment, and sales of biotechnology goods and services, plus patents, venture capital, genetically modified (GM) crop hectares and GM field trials. See http://www.oecd.org/dataoecd/51/59/36760212.pdf (850 KB) or contact icgb@oecd.org for more information.

OECD Biotechnology Update nr. 16

Issue number 16 (May 2006) of the OECD Biotechnology Update is now available. It provides updated information on the diverse activities at the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) related to biotechnology. The 23-page newsletter contains items on news, recent and future events, recent and future publications (many are available free of charge) and provides web and e-mail contacts for the different areas of activity. The previous issue was published in July 2005. See http://www.oecd.org/dataoecd/27/45/36731445.pdf (180 KB) or contact icgb@oecd.org for more information.

IPGRI publication on DNA banks

As part of its Topical Reviews in Agricultural Biodiversity series, the International Plant Genetic Resources Institute (IPGRI) has recently published "DNA banks - providing novel options for genebanks?", edited by M.C. de Vicente. The 10 chapters of this 84-page publication cover a wide range of topics related to DNA banks such as the current global status of plant genetic resources DNA banking activities; the importance of DNA storage for the conservation of species; best practices and experiences with preservation of DNA samples; the role of bioinformatics; the usefulness of DNA banks as a primary resource for conservation research; DNA banking of animal genetic resources; and the opportunities, limitations and needs for DNA banking from the perspective of developing countries. See http://www.ipgri.cgiar.org/publications/pdf/1110.pdf (881 KB) or contact ipgri-publications@cgiar.org for more information.

ILRI biotechnology research website

The research programme of the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) is organised into 5 themes, one of which is biotechnology. In the field of animal health, this research seeks to develop appropriate diagnostics to help identify disease threats and develop specific vaccines; for genetics and genomics, it includes identifying and using genetic adaptations such as disease resistance and developing appropriate marker technologies to facilitate delivery of genetic improvement into farmers’ herds/flocks; and for animal feeds research, genetic adaptations will be used to increase the quality of feeds. The biotechnology research website has now been updated and re-organised, including e.g. details about the projects and research highlights, milestones and publications. See http://www.ilri.org/research/Index.asp?SID=5 or contact e.rege@cgiar.org for more information.

IFPRI discussion papers on regulation of GMOs

As part of its EPT (Environment and Production Technology Division) Discussion Papers series, the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) has recently published "A gap analysis of confined field trial application forms for genetically modified crops in East Africa: Evaluating the potential for harmonization" by N.A. Linacre and J.I. Cohen. See http://www.ifpri.org/divs/eptd/dp/papers/eptdp149.pdf (302 KB) or contact ifpri-ept@cgiar.org for more information. IFPRI Division Discussion Papers contain preliminary material and research results and are circulated in order to stimulate discussion and critical comment.

April

FAO Biotechnology Glossary - Arabic translation

The FAO "Glossary of biotechnology for food and agriculture", published in 2001 as FAO Research and Technology Paper 9, has now been translated into Arabic, in a co-publishing partnership with the United Arab Emirates (UAE) University and under the patronage of H. H. Sheikh Nahayan Mabarak Al Nahayan, the UAE Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research. Apart from a translation of the over 3,000 terms and definitions contained in the English glossary, the 434-page publication also contains an additional English-Arabic vocabulary of biotechnology-related terms. The original English version of the glossary was co-authored by Abdelouahhab Zaid, H.G. Hughes, E. Porceddu and F. Nicholas and the Arabic translation was carried out by A. Zaid with editorial assistance by A. Abdeltawab. The publication will soon be made available at the multi-lingual biotechnology glossary website. Contact sandra.tardioli@fao.org to request a copy.

National plant breeding and biotechnology surveys

FAO has been carrying out a global survey to assess plant breeding and related biotechnology capacity with the objective of designing strategies to strengthen national and regional abilities to use plant genetic resources for food and agriculture. A number of draft reports on national plant breeding and biotechnology surveys are now available on the web (for Ethiopia, Kazakhstan, Sri Lanka, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan). In addition, FAO, in collaboration with the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) and the International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA), recently carried out a series of workshops in Central Asian countries on designing strategies to strengthen the sustainable use of plant genetic resources. Draft reports from the workshops held in Uzbekistan (6 April 2006) and Tajikistan (8 April 2006) are now available. For both the national surveys and the workshop reports, see the "what's new" section of http://apps3.fao.org/wiews/wiews.jsp or contact elcio.guimaraes@fao.org for more information.

Codex Committee on Methods of Analysis and Sampling - 27th Session

The 27th Session of the Codex Committee on Methods of Analysis and Sampling takes place on 15-19 May 2006 in Budapest, Hungary. Item 6 on the provisional agenda is "Criteria for the methods for the detection and identification of foods derived from biotechnology". See the meeting agenda at http://www.codexalimentarius.net/web/current.jsp (in English, French and Spanish), some background to detection of protein and/or DNA in GM foods at http://www.fao.org/ag/agn/food/risk_biotech_detection_en.stm (in English, French and Spanish) or contact codex@fao.org for further information.

Legal framework for animal genetic resources management

As part of its Legislative Studies series, FAO has recently published "The legal framework for the management of animal genetic resources", by A. Ingrassia, D. Manzella and E. Martyniuk. Based on information gathered through national surveys and other sources, the 154-page study provides an overview of the main relevant legal instruments at both international and national levels (including e.g. the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety). The regulatory framework of the European Union is presented as an example of an integrated regional legal framework. A general assessment of the status of national regulatory frameworks is given as well as general recommendations for the development of national legislation. The study was jointly coordinated and prepared by FAO’s Animal Production Service, Development Law Service and the Secretariat of the Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (CGRFA) and is a revised and broadened version of the background study paper prepared for the CGRFA in 2004. See http://www.fao.org/Legal/legstud/ls89/ls89e.pdf (3.66 MB) or contact daniele.manzella@fao.org for more information.

Manual on artificial breeding of cattle and buffalo in Asia

A manual entitled "Improving artificial breeding of cattle and buffalo in Asia: Guidelines and recommendations", which is "aimed at all levels of administrative and technical personnel involved in the provision of artificial insemination services to cattle and buffalo farmers in Asia" is now available on the web. This 65-page manual of protocols, procedures, guidelines and recommendations was produced under an International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) technical co-operation project implemented within the framework of the Regional Cooperative Agreement for Asia and the Pacific Region (RCA) programme, with technical support of the Joint FAO/IAEA Division of Nuclear Techniques in Food and Agriculture. See http://www-naweb.iaea.org/nafa/aph/public/d3-td1480.html (1.17 MB) or contact aph-webcontact@iaea.org for more information.

Conservation of animal genetic resources: Workshop report

On 7-10 November 2005, an international workshop on "Options and strategies for the conservation of farm animal genetic resources" was held in Montpellier, France, convened by the CGIAR System-wide Genetic Resources Programme in association with FAO, the French scientific community, the German Agency for Technical Cooperation (GTZ) and hosted by Agropolis, Montpellier. The workshop consisted of 22 invited short presentations (some dealing with use of biotechnology tools, such as molecular markers or cryopreservation and reproductive technologies), short table discussions and detailed breakout group discussions. A 161-page report with the detailed output of the workshop is now available. See http://dad.fao.org/en/refer/library/reports/WS_FAnGR.pdf (1.13 MB) or contact dad-is@fao.org for more information.

Advance version of COP-8 decisions

An advance version of the decisions adopted by the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity at its 8th meeting (COP-8), that took place on 20-31 March 2006 in Curitiba, Brazil, is now available. The 272-page document, which is still subject to final editing and clearance, also refers to some biotechnology-related issues such as genetic use restriction technologies (GURTs), genetically modified trees and the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety. See the advance version (1.29 MB) or contact secretariat@biodiv.org for more information.

WIPO database - PatentScope

In April 2006, the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) upgraded its online database, PatentScope, so that over 1.2 million international applications filed under WIPO’s Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) from 1978 to the present are now available in fully searchable form for free consultation. The information may be searched in several ways e.g. using keywords (such as 'biotechnology' or 'et/biotechnology' [i.e. with the word biotechnology in the english title]), names of applicants or dates and complete documents may be printed or downloaded. Together with documents on each patent application (e.g. description, claims), the database gives access to information on the status of the application. PatentScope is a valuable technical resource as new technologies are often disclosed for the first time as international patent applications and the patent applications filed under the PCT system are typically those that inventors consider to be the most valuable and therefore worth patenting internationally. See http://www.wipo.int/patentscope/ or contact publicinf@wipo.int for more information. WIPO is one of the United Nations specialised agencies. It administers 23 international treaties dealing with different aspects of intellectual property protection and has 183 member nations.

WIPO-UNEP study on IPRs and benefit sharing

The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) recently published the "WIPO-UNEP study on the role of intellectual property rights in the sharing of benefits arising from the use of biological resources and associated traditional knowledge", prepared by A.K. Gupta. This 164-page publication uses 3 detailed case studies from Nigeria, India and Mali to consider the role of the existing intellectual property system in providing benefit-sharing mechanisms for local communities and individual innovators. The case study in Mali deals with a voluntary initiative for sharing benefits through the licensing, and possible commercialisation, of a cloned gene (Xa21) derived from a wild rice variety obtained from Mali, via international and national research centres. See http://www.wipo.int/tk/en/publications/769e_unep_tk.pdf or contact publicinf@wipo.int for more information.

WHO commission report on IPRs, innovation and public health

In May 2003, World Health Organization (WHO) Member States agreed to establish an independent commission to consider the relationship between intellectual property rights, innovation and public health, which would "collect data and proposals from the different actors involved and produce an analysis of intellectual property rights, innovation, and public health, including the question of appropriate funding and incentive mechanisms for the creation of new medicines and other products against diseases that disproportionately affect developing countries". On 3 April 2006 the Commission on Intellectual Property Rights, Innovation and Public Health presented its report to WHO. Although not dealing specifically with agricultural biotechnologies, the report is relevant because of the parallels with development of improved agricultural products for developing countries e.g. through use of biotechnology. See http://www.who.int/intellectualproperty/en/ (in Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish) or contact cipih@who.int for more information.

IPGRI publication on molecular markers for genebank management

As part of its IPGRI Technical Bulletin series, the International Plant Genetic Resources Institute (IPGRI) has recently published "Molecular markers for genebank management" by D. Spooner, R. van Treuren and M.C. de Vicente. The 126-page document includes discussion of the main marker techniques and their comparative qualities; applications of molecular techniques in genebank management and crop breeding; and current developments in molecular marker applications and future challenges that could result from these developments. See http://www.ipgri.cgiar.org/publications/pdf/1082.pdf (1.58 MB) or contact IPGRI@cgiar.org for more information. IPGRI Technical Bulletins are targeted at scientists and technicians managing genetic resources collections.

Manual of CIMMYT laboratory protocols

The International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) has recently published "Laboratory protocols: CIMMYT Applied Molecular Genetics Laboratory. Third edition", edited by M. Warburton, M. William, A. McNab and D. Poland. According to the foreword, the primary motive for compiling and publishing this manual was to provide scientists, researchers, and students from national agricultural research systems, universities, and small private companies in developing countries, as well as advanced research institutions in the developed world, with a useful guide on the protocols currently in use in the Applied Molecular Genetics (AMG) Laboratory of CIMMYT’s Applied Biotechnology Center. The main protocols currently in use there have to do with molecular marker technology and can be used for mapping, molecular marker assisted selection, and studies on genetic diversity. See http://www.cimmyt.org/english/docs/manual/protocols/abc_amgl.pdf (1.63 MB) or contact mwarburton@cgiar.org with any comments.

IFPRI brief on assessing the environmental impact of GM crops

As part of its IFPRI Issue Briefs series, the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) has published "Strategic Environmental Assessment: Assessing the environmental impact of biotechnology" by N.A. Linacre, J. Gaskell, M.W. Rosegrant, J. Falck-Zepeda, H. Quemada, M. Halsey and R. Birner. The 3-page brief discusses the need for systematic evaluation of environmental issues in the research and priority-setting process for genetically modified crops. See http://www.ifpri.org/pubs/ib/ib41.pdf (196 KB) or contact ifpri-ept@cgiar.org for more information.

Generation Challenge Programme: Capacity building corner

The Generation Challenge Programme (GCP) website has now been extended to include a "capacity building corner", containing information about GCP training events, fellowship and grant opportunities, and other human resource development activities in the fields of plant genetic resources, genomics and molecular breeding. The GCP is one of the Challenge Programmes approved by the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) and its aim is to "harness the rich global heritage of plant genetic resources and create a new generation of crops that meet the needs of resource-poor people". See http://www.generationcp.org/capcorner.php or contact j.nelson@cgiar.org for more information.

24th FAO Regional Conference for Africa

The 24th FAO Regional Conference for Africa took place from 30 January to 3 February 2006 in Bamako, Mali. One of the items for discussion was the "African Seeds and Biotechnology Programme", which FAO has proposed to provide a strategic approach for the comprehensive development of the seed sector and biotechnology in Africa, taking into account the different needs of the countries and regions. See document ARC/06/4 (in Arabic, English, French and Spanish) at http://www.fao.org/Unfao/Bodies/RegConferences/arc24/24arc_en.htm or contact michael.larinde@fao.org for more information. An information document was also presented on "Policy and regulation of biotechnology in food production", which reviews existing policy and legal instruments and summarizes discussions in the region on genetically modified products. See document ARC/06/INF/5 (in Arabic, English, French and Spanish) at http://www.fao.org/Unfao/Bodies/RegConferences/arc24/24arc_en.htm or contact cheikh.ndiaye@fao.org for more information. The FAO Regional Conference meets every two years and is attended by Ministers of Agriculture and other top officials from 53 countries in Africa.

28th FAO Regional Conference for the Near East

The 28th FAO Regional Conference for the Near East took place from 12-16 March 2006 in Sana'a, Republic of Yemen. One of the information documents presented was entitled "Biotechnology potential in support of rural development: Pros and cons". See document NERC/06/INF/8 (in Arabic, English and French) at http://www.fao.org/Unfao/Bodies/RegConferences/nerc28/28nerc_en.htm or contact kakoli.ghosh@fao.org for more information. The FAO Regional Conference for the Near East is held every two years.

Agricultural Biotechnology Network in Africa (ABNETA)

On 21 March 2006, the Agricultural Biotechnology Network in Africa (ABNETA) was launched in Nairobi, Kenya. The initiative is co-ordinated by FAO and implemented by the African Biotechnology Stakeholder Forum. The specific goals of the network are to facilitate exchange of information and dialogue among researchers, policy makers, farmers, media and the public on matters concerning application of biotechnologies in agriculture and conservation of genetic resources; facilitate and organize regional meetings, training courses, workshops to strengthen national capacities to develop and access tools to enhance plant breeding and conservation of plant genetic resources (PGR); provide current information on advances made in biotechnology research; encourage communication between the media and the public in the area of biotechnology; be a source of data on biotechnology in Africa including existing and required capacities in terms of equipment, reagents and human resources; be a base for forum discussions on all aspects of biotechnology and its application in breeding; and provide contacts for plant breeders and researchers and facilitate linkages. See http://www.abneta.org/index.php or contact elcio.guimaraes@fao.org for more information.

Report of 3rd plant genetic resources working group session

The report of the 3rd Session of the Intergovernmental Technical Working Group on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture that took place on 26-28 October 2005 at FAO Headquarters, Rome, Italy, is now available. One of the items on the agenda was "Guiding principles to address the possibility of unintended presence of transgenes in ex situ collections". See the report (document CGRFA/WG-PGR-3/05/REPORT, in English, French and Spanish, and soon in Arabic and Chinese) or contact Brad.Fraleigh@fao.org for more information.

Codex Committee on Food Labelling - 34th Session

The 34th Session of the Codex Committee on Food Labelling (CCFL) takes place on 1-5 May 2006 in Ottawa, Canada. Item nr. 5 on the provisional agenda is "Labelling of foods and food ingredients obtained through certain techniques of genetic modification / genetic engineering". See the meeting agenda at http://www.codexalimentarius.net/web/current.jsp (in English, French and Spanish), some background to the CCFL's work on labelling of GM foods at http://www.fao.org/ag/agn/food/risk_biotech_label_en.stm (in English, French and Spanish) or contact codex@fao.org for further information.

FAO/IAEA Plant Breeding and Genetics Newsletter 16

The January 2006 newsletter from the Plant Breeding and Genetics Section of the Joint FAO/IAEA Division of Nuclear Techniques in Food and Agriculture and the FAO/IAEA Agriculture and Biotechnology Laboratory is now available. The 20-page newsletter, issued twice a year, gives an overview of their past and upcoming events (meetings, training courses etc.), ongoing projects and publications. See http://www-naweb.iaea.org/nafa/pbg/public/pb-nl-16.pdf (889 KB) or contact k.allaf@iaea.org to request a copy.

FAO/IAEA Animal Production and Health Newsletter 43

The December 2005 newsletter from the Animal Production and Health Section of the Joint FAO/IAEA Division of Nuclear Techniques in Food and Agriculture and the FAO/IAEA Agriculture and Biotechnology Laboratory is now available. The newsletter, issued twice a year, gives an overview of past and upcoming projects, publications and events. See http://www-naweb.iaea.org/nafa/aph/public/ap-nl-43.pdf (506 KB) or contact R.Schellander@iaea.org for more information.

Book on gut microbial ecology of ruminants

The Animal Production and Health Sub-programme of the Joint FAO/IAEA Division of Nuclear Techniques in Food and Agriculture has recently published "Methods in gut microbial ecology for ruminants", edited by H.P.S. Makkar and C.S. McSweeney. The book gives a comprehensive account of the methodologies for conventional and modern molecular techniques that are currently in use for studying the gut microbial ecology of ruminants. Libraries of research institutions, including universities, in developing countries can request a free copy from aph-webcontact@iaea.org.

FAO's avian influenza website

This website provides access to news, essential documents, interviews, videos and technical reports (covering also diagnostic procedures) etc. about avian influenza (bird flu). See http://www.fao.org/ag/avian.html (in Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Italian and Spanish) or contact AGA-Webmaster@fao.org for more information.

National biotechnology strategy - Dominican Republic

On 8-9 March 2006, the Instituto de Innovación en Biotecnología e Industria (IIBI), the Centro para el Desarrollo Agropecuario y Forestal (CEDAF) and FAO organised a workshop in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, entitled “Hacia la planificación estratégica de la biotecnología en la República Dominicana”, whose goal was to assess the present status of biotechnology applications in the Dominican Republic and to formulate a national biotechnology strategy using a participatory approach. Results from the workshop are now available at http://www.redbio.org/newsredbio.asp?id=265 or contact juan.izquierdo@fao.org for more information.

Cartagena Protocol: COP-MOP 3

The 3rd meeting of the Conference of the Parties serving as the meeting of Parties to the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety (COP-MOP 3) took place on 13-17 March 2006 in Curitiba, Brazil. The meeting considered and adopted decisions on a wide range of substantive issues, including detailed requirements for documentation accompanying living modified organisms (LMOs) intended for direct use as food or feed, or for processing; handling, transport, packaging and identification; the need for and modalities of developing standards with regard to identification, handling, packaging and transport practices for transboundary movements of LMOs; risk assessment and risk management; the need to establish subsidiary bodies under the Protocol; other issues necessary for the effective implementation of the Protocol (rights and/or obligations of Parties of transit); monitoring and reporting; review and assessment of the Protocol; compliance with the Provisions of the Protocol; liability and redress; cooperation with other organizations, conventions and initiatives; operation and activities of the Biosafety Clearing-House; and capacity-building, including adoption of an updated version of the Action Plan for Building Capacities for the Effective Implementation of the Protocol. See http://www.biodiv.org/meetings/cop8mop3/mop-03.shtml for links to the 20 official documents (available in Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish) and 13 information documents (most in English only) prepared for the meeting and to daily reports and press coverage of the meeting. Contact secretariat@biodiv.org for any further information.

Convention on Biological Diversity: COP-8

The 8th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (COP-8) took place on 20-31 March 2006 in Curitiba, Brazil. A wide range of issues were dealt with, some related directly or indirectly to agricultural biotechnology. See http://www.biodiv.org/meetings/cop8mop3/cop-08.shtml for links to the 49 official documents (available in Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish) and 47 information documents (most in English only) prepared for the meeting and to daily reports and press coverage of the meeting. Contact secretariat@biodiv.org for any further information.

IFPRI discussion papers on regulation of GMOs

As part of its EPTD (Environment and Production Technology Division) Discussion Papers series, the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) has recently published two papers on regulation of GMOs, entitled "An analysis of trade related international regulations of genetically modified food and their effects on developing countries" (by G.P. Gruère) and "Comparative analysis of the national biosafety regulatory systems in East Africa" (by G. Jaffe). See http://www.ifpri.org/divs/eptd/eptdp.asp or contact ifpri-ept@cgiar.org for more information. IFPRI Divisional Discussion Papers contain preliminary research material and are circulated prior to a full peer review in order to stimulate discussion and critical comment

2005

December

Keynote address by FAO Director-General

On the occasion of a conference held on 6 June 2005 in Copenhagen, Denmark to mark the 100-year anniversary of the Danish Guild of Agricultural Journalists (Dansk Landbrugspresse), the FAO Director-General Jacques Diouf delivered a keynote address which considered, among other issues, the on-going public debate on the potential and limits of biotechnology. See http://www.fao.org/english/dg/2005/den.htm or contact biotech-website@fao.org for more information.

Codex Task Force on Foods Derived from Biotechnology - Report of 5th session

The Codex Ad Hoc Intergovernmental Task Force on Foods Derived from Biotechnology held its 5th session on 19-23 September 2005 in Chiba, Japan. The report of the meeting is now available. See http://www.codexalimentarius.net/web/archives.jsp?lang=en (in English, French and Spanish) or contact codex@fao.org for further information. The Joint FAO/WHO Codex Alimentarius Commission is an intergovernmental body set up to establish international standards on foods.

High-level policy dialogue on biotechnology

On 7-9 November 2005, a "High-level policy dialogue on biotechnology for food security and poverty alleviation: Opportunities and challenges" was held in Bangkok, Thailand, organised by FAO, the Asia-Pacific Association of Agricultural Research Institutions (APAARI) and the Global Forum on Agricultural Research (GFAR). Its main objective was to "facilitate appropriate policy decisions by developing countries in Asia and the Pacific with respect to application of biotechnology in their food and agriculture sector in addressing poverty and hunger, in accord with the World Food Summit and Millennium Development Goals". For more details, plus the Opening Statement by He Changchui, FAO Assistant Director-General and Regional Representative for Asia and the Pacific, see http://www.fao.org/world/regional/rap/meetings/2005/Nov07/Nov07.htm or contact FAO-RAP@fao.org.

Plant health risk analysis - Workshop documents

On 24-28 October 2005, an international plant health risk analysis workshop was held in Niagara Falls, Canada, organised jointly by the International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC) Secretariat and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency. One of the nine workshop sessions was devoted to "risks associated with living modified organisms". Presentations and documents from the workshop are now available on the web. See https://www.ippc.int/id/58455 or contact ippc@fao.org for more information. The IPPC is an international treaty relating to plant health whose Secretariat is located in FAO Headquarters.

REDBIO national case studies - Colombia

REDBIO has been carrying out a series of case studies on the management of appropriate agricultural biotechnology for small producers in individual countries. The 53-page study for Colombia (by I. Schuler and L.A. Orozco), entitled "Manejo y gestión de la biotecnología agrícola apropiada para pequeños productores: Estudio de caso Colombia", has now been published. Studies have previously been published for Argentina, Bolivia, Ecuador and Peru. REDBIO is the Technical Co-operation Network on Plant Biotechnology in Latin America and the Caribbean, based at the FAO Regional Office for Latin America and the Caribbean in Santiago, Chile. See http://www.redbio.org/estud_casos.htm or contact juan.izquierdo@fao.org for more information.

Food barley improvement

On 14-17 January 2002, FAO, the International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA) and the Institution de Recherche et Enseignement Supérieur Agricole (IRESA), Tunisia, organised an international workshop on "Food barley improvement" in Hammamet, Tunisia. Proceedings of the workshop, edited by S. Grando and H. Gómez Macpherson, are now available, entitled "Food barley: Importance, uses and local knowledge". During the workshop, participants presented the status of food barley in their respective countries, including descriptions of traditional and new uses of barley, varieties, research activities (e.g. use of hybridisation, mutation breeding and doubled haploids in Peru), and the importance of food barley as compared to feed and malting barley. See http://www.icarda.cgiar.org/Publications/Price_List/book3/food%20barley.pdf (1.13 MB) or contact ICARDA@cgiar.org for more information.

Resolutions of the 60th General Assembly of the United Nations

The 60th General Assembly of the United Nations has approved two biotechnology-related draft resolutions. The draft resolution on the Convention on Biological Diversity (agenda item 52 (h)) was approved on 9 December while the draft resolution on science and technology for development (agenda item 54 (b)) was approved on 13 December 2005. See the resolutions (in Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish) at http://www.un.org/ga/60/second/draftproposals.htm or contact 2ndcommittee@un.org for more information.

UNESCO Asian Biotechnology Training Centre

The 33rd session of the biennial General Conference of the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) was held on 3-21 October 2005 in Paris, France. Among the decisions made, the General Conference approved the establishment in India of the Regional Centre for Biotechnology Education and Training. The Centre’s aim is to "network existing expertise in the region, boost capacity-building strategies and address Asian countries common research and development challenges and goals within the field of biotechnology". The Government of India will provide the funds required for the establishment of this Centre, which is expected to be fully functional within the next 5 years. See the news story (in English and French) or contact l.hoareau@unesco.org for more information.

Socio-economic impacts of GURTs on indigenous and local communities

On 23-27 January 2006, the 4th meeting of the "Ad Hoc Open-ended Inter-sessional Working Group on Article 8(j) and Related Provisions of the Convention on Biological Diversity" takes place in Granada, Spain. Item 10 of the provisional agenda is "Potential socio-economic impacts of genetic use restriction technologies on indigenous and local communities". Documents for the meeting are available at http://www.biodiv.org/doc/meeting.aspx?mtg=WG8J-04 (most are in Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish) or contact secretariat@biodiv.org for more information. Article 8(j) of the Convention refers to traditional knowledge, innovations and practices and provides that: “Each contracting Party shall, as far as possible and as appropriate: Subject to national legislation, respect, preserve and maintain knowledge, innovations and practices of indigenous and local communities embodying traditional lifestyles relevant for the conservation and sustainable use of biological diversity and promote their wider application with the approval and involvement of the holders of such knowledge, innovations and practices and encourage the equitable sharing of the benefits arising from the utilization of such knowledge, innovations and practices”.

Consensus documents on the biology of papaya and the oyster mushroom

As part of the series on Harmonisation of Regulatory Oversight in Biotechnology, the OECD’s Working Group on Harmonisation of Regulatory Oversight in Biotechnology has recently published the "Consensus document on the biology of Papaya (Carica Papaya)" and the "Consensus document on the biology of Pleurotus spp. (Oyster Mushroom)". Each document is intended for use by "regulatory authorities and others who have responsibility for assessments of transgenic organisms proposed for commercialisation, and by those who are actively involved with genetic improvement and intensive management of the genus". See http://appli1.oecd.org/olis/2005doc.nsf/linkto/env-jm-mono(2005)16 and http://appli1.oecd.org/olis/2005doc.nsf/linkto/env-jm-mono(2005)17 respectively or contact ehscont@oecd.org for more information.

Law and policy relevant to plant genetic resources - Learning module

The learning module "Law and policy of relevance to the management of plant genetic resources", first published in 2003, has now been revised and published, together with a regional learning plan "Review of regional policy instruments, developments and trends". This second edition is edited by S. Bragdon, C. Fowler, Z. França and E. Goldberg and produced by the CGIAR System-wide Genetic Resources Programme (SGRP), the International Plant Genetic Resources Institute (IPGRI) and the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI). The learning module is aimed mainly at those who have practical management and/or policymaking responsibilities for plant genetic resources. It provides the trainer with all the information and materials required for planning and implementing a five-day workshop, subdivided into 13 sessions, where Session 10 deals with "Phytosanitary and biosafety measures". The regional learning plan has been designed to complement the base learning module and, as a trainer’s tool, it is complete with region-specific agreements, trends analysis, hand-outs, overheads, case studies and group exercises for four regions: Latin America; Sub-Saharan Africa; Central and West Asia and North Africa; and developing countries of Asia, the Pacific and Oceania. See http://www.ipgri.cgiar.org/training/policytrainingmodule/ or contact IPGRI@cgiar.org for more information.

November

FAO e-conference on biotechnology and genetic resources - Summary document

The summary document of the FAO e-mail conference entitled "The role of biotechnology for the characterisation and conservation of crop, forest, animal and fishery genetic resources in developing countries" has now been published. It provides a summary of the main issues discussed during this moderated e-mail conference, hosted by the FAO Biotechnology Forum from 6 June and 4 July 2005, based on the 127 messages posted by the participants, over 60% coming from people in developing countries. Crop and animal genetic resources received most attention during the conference and, of the different biotechnologies, most discussions were about molecular markers, in particular their use for characterisation of genetic resources. See http://www.fao.org/biotech/logs/C13/summary.htm or contact biotech-admin@fao.org to request a copy.

ECOWAS ministerial conference on biotechnology

On 21-24 June 2005, the ECOWAS (Economic Community for West African States) Ministerial Conference on Biotechnology was held in Bamako, Mali. The FAO statement at the conference, by Mr. Oloche A. Edache, the FAO Assistant Director-General and Regional Representative for Africa, is available on the web; see http://www.fao.org/world/regional/raf/about/raf_adg_bamako_june2005.pdf or contact raf-webmaster@fao.org for more information. Main conclusions and recommendations from the conference are available at http://www.coraf.org/English/se.php (in English and French) or contact coraf.wecard@coraf.org for more information.

From the green to gene revolution - Working paper

As part of its ESA Working Papers series, FAO's Agricultural and Development Economics Division (ESA) has just published "From the Green Revolution to the Gene Revolution: How will the poor fare?" by P. Pingali and T. Raney. The ESA Working Papers series presents ESA's ongoing research and papers are circulated to stimulate discussion and comments. See http://www.fao.org/docrep/008/af276e/af276e00.htm or contact esa@fao.org to request a copy of the paper.

International Portal on Food Safety, Animal and Plant Health - Biotechnology records

In May 2004, FAO launched the International Portal on Food Safety, Animal and Plant Health. Developed by FAO, and in association with the organisations responsible for international standard setting in sanitary and phytosanitary matters, this portal provides a single access point for authorised official international and national information across the sectors of food safety, animal and plant health. Information can be browsed in a number of ways, including by cross-sectoral themes such as biotechnology, for which there are currently just under 700 records, classified by commodity, geography, information type and information source. From the end of November 2005, the portal will also contain links to Biosafety Clearing House decisions. See http://www.ipfsaph.org/biotechnology or contact ipfsaph@fao.org for more information.

Unasylva - Poplars in biotechnology research

Unasylva is an international journal of forestry and forest industries published by FAO in English, French and Spanish. The latest issue (nr. 221) is dedicated to poplars and willows, containing articles adapted from presentations to the 22nd session of the International Poplar Commission held in Santiago, Chile from 28 November to 2 December 2004 that focused on enhancing the contribution of poplars and willows to sustainable forestry and rural development, particularly in developing countries and those with economies in transition. One of the articles is on "Poplars in biotechnology research" by H. Marchadier and P. Sigaud. See http://www.fao.org/docrep/008/a0026e/a0026e00.htm or contact pierre.sigaud@fao.org for more information.

Two new FAO/IAEA animal production and health books

The Animal Production and Health Sub-programme of the Joint FAO/IAEA Division of Nuclear Techniques in Food and Agriculture has recently published two new books. "Molecular diagnostic PCR handbook", edited by G.J. Viljoen, L.H. Nel and J.R. Crowther, "gives a comprehensive account of the practical aspects of the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and strong consideration is given to ensure its optimal use in a laboratory environment. This includes the setting-up of a PCR laboratory, Good Laboratory Practice and standardised PCR protocols to detect animal disease pathogens". The second book, entitled "Applications of gene-based technologies for improving animal production and health in developing countries", edited by H.P.S. Makkar and G.J. Viljoen, provides a compilation of peer-reviewed scientific contributions from an international symposium convened in October 2003 by the Sub-programme in cooperation with FAO's Animal Production and Health Division. For either of the publications, contact h.makkar@iaea.org for more information, while libraries of research institutions, including universities, in developing countries can request a copy from r.schellander@iaea.org.

Expert Group on Risk Assessment - Cartagena Protocol

At its second meeting in 2005, the Conference of the Parties serving as the meeting of the Parties to the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety decided to establish an Ad Hoc Technical Expert Group on Risk Assessment. The first meeting of the Group takes place on 15-18 November 2005 in Rome, Italy. See the meeting documents at http://www.biodiv.org/doc/meeting.asp?mtg=TEGRA-01 or contact secretariat@biodiv.org for further information.

October

Public participation and GMOs - FAO e-conference summary document

The summary document of the FAO e-mail conference entitled "Public participation in decision-making regarding GMOs in developing countries: How to effectively involve rural people" has now been published. The 12-page document provides a summary of the main issues discussed during this moderated e-mail conference, hosted by the FAO Biotechnology Forum from 17 January to 13 February 2005, based on the messages posted by 70 people from 35 different countries during the conference. The main topics discussed were if, and to what degree, the rural people of developing countries should participate in decision-making regarding GMOs; misinformation and the type and quality of information required by rural people; appropriate communication channels; costs of public participation; international agreements/guidelines; and scepticism about the public participation process. See http://www.fao.org/biotech/logs/C12/summary.htm or contact biotech-admin@fao.org to request a copy.

Third session of plant genetic resources working group

The 3rd Session of the Intergovernmental Technical Working Group on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (ITWG-PGR) takes place on 26-28 October 2005 at FAO Headquarters, Rome, Italy. One of the items on the provisional agenda is entitled "Guiding principles to address the possibility of unintended presence of transgenes in ex situ collections", for which the International Plant Genetic Resources Institute (IPGRI) has prepared document CGRFA/WG-PGR-3/05/6. See the provisional agenda and documents (all will be available in Arabic, English, French and Spanish) at the website of the 3rd Session or contact Brad.Fraleigh@fao.org for more information. The ITWG-PGR was established by the Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture in 1997 to address issues specific to plant genetic resources for food and agriculture and is composed of a total of 27 Member Nations from the different world regions.

Updated biosafety resources website

FAO's Research and Technology Development Service (SDRR) has recently updated its Biosafety Resources website. The resources are classified into four groups: guidelines, manuals, reports and toolkits. The website aims to provide a broad choice of training resources on different biosafety issues, including recombinant DNA laboratory safety; biosafety and containment issues for GMO research in greenhouses; assessing GMOs and the effects of introducing a GMO into the environment. See http://www.fao.org/sd/sdrr/biosafety/index_en.asp (in English, French and Spanish) or contact FAO-BioDeC@fao.org with comments or to suggest an additional biosafety resource.

SADC animal genetic resources workshops

In 2001-2003, a series of four workshops on farm animal genetic resources was held in the Southern African Development Community (SADC), considering, among others, the topic of policies on biotechnology. A summary of these workshops, by I. Köhler-Rollefson, entitled "Farm animal genetic resources: Safeguarding national assets for food security and trade", has been published by the Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation (CTA), the German Agency for Technical Cooperation (GTZ) and FAO. See the summary (1.13 MB) or contact dad-is@fao.org for more information.

The 60th General Assembly of the United Nations

The 60th General Assembly of the United Nations has begun and it is scheduled to discuss a total of 156 agenda items before mid-September 2006. Item 52 (h) is on the Convention on Biological Diversity, for which document A/60/171 has been prepared, including a report by the Convention's secretariat on ongoing work regarding the Convention, including its Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety. Item 54 (b) is on "Science and technology for development", for which document A/60/184 has been prepared, summarising work carried out by entities of the United Nations system in the area of biotechnology. See http://www.un.org/ga/60/second/summaries.htm (documents available in Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish) or contact 2ndcommittee@un.org for more information.

UNU-IAS biotechnology reports

As part of a series of biotechnology publications by the United Nations University's Institute of Advanced Studies (UNU-IAS), aimed at "providing information on the challenges, opportunities, and risks of this expanding technology for sound decision- and policy-making", a book and two reports by A. Sasson have now been released. The reports, entitled "Industrial and environmental biotechnology: Achievements, prospects and perceptions" and "Food and nutrition biotechnology: Achievements, prospects and perceptions", are freely available on the web. See http://www.ias.unu.edu/publications/details.cfm/articleID/703 or contact borromeo@ias.unu.edu for more information.

New on-line publication: La yuca en el tercer milenio

The book entitled "La yuca en el tercer milenio: Sistemas modernos de producción, procesamiento, utilización y comercialización", edited by B. Ospina and H. Ceballos, has recently been made available on the web. Produced by the Centro Internacional de Agricultura Tropical (CIAT) and the Consorcio Latinoamericano para la Investigación y el Desarrollo de la Yuca (CLAYUCA), the 28-chapter book provides an update on advances in production, processing, commercialisation and use of cassava over the last three decades, covering also the area of biotechnology. See http://www.clayuca.org/site/contenido.htm or contact ciat@cgiar.org for more information.

September

Biotechnology in food processing - FAO e-conference summary document

The summary document of the moderated e-mail conference entitled "Biotechnology applications in food processing: can developing countries benefit?", which was hosted by the FAO Biotechnology Forum from 14 June to 15 July 2004, has now been published. This 9-page document aims to provide a summary of the main issues that were discussed i.e. the importance and diversity of fermented products; control and variable quality of traditional fermentation; documenting information about traditional fermented food; scaling up production of traditional fermented foods; appropriateness of individual biotechnologies; education and capacity building; food safety and human health; intellectual property rights and traditional knowledge. See http://www.fao.org/biotech/logs/C11/summary.htm or contact biotech-admin@fao.org to request a copy.

Codex Task Force on Foods Derived from Biotechnology - 5th session

The Codex Alimentarius Commission, at its 23rd session in 1999, established an Ad Hoc Intergovernmental Task Force on Foods Derived from Biotechnology to consider the health and nutritional implications of such foods. The Task Force held 4 sessions and completed its work within four years (July 2003). At its 27th session, held from 28 June to 3 July 2004 in Geneva, Switzerland, the Commission agreed to establish a new Ad Hoc Intergovernmental Task Force on Foods Derived from Biotechnology with the understanding that its final report should be submitted to the Commission in 2009. The first session of this new Task Force (i.e. the fifth session in total) takes place in Chiba, Japan on 19-23 September 2005. The agenda and documents for the session are now available at http://www.codexalimentarius.net/web/current.jsp (in English, French and Spanish) or contact codex@fao.org for further information. The Joint FAO/WHO Codex Alimentarius Commission is an intergovernmental body set up to establish international standards on foods.

FAO contribution to strengthening plant biotechnology in developing countries

An international dialogue on “Agricultural and rural development in the 21st century: Lessons from the past and policies for the future” takes place on 9-10 September 2005 in Beijing, China, jointly organised by FAO and the Ministry of Agriculture of China. For the 4th session, dedicated to "Frontiers of science for agriculture in the 21st century", a paper entitled "FAO contribution to strengthening plant biotechnology in developing countries" has been prepared by M. Solh and K. Ghosh from FAO's Plant Production and Protection Division. See http://www.fao.org/es/ESA/beijing/topics_04.htm or contact biotech-safety@fao.org for more information.

Technology for Agriculture (TECA) website

FAO's Research and Technology Development Service has just launched a new "Technology for Agriculture" (TECA) website. It aims to improve "access to information and knowledge about available proven technologies in order to enhance their adoption in agriculture, livestock, fisheries and forestry" as, very often, established technologies are not well documented and experiences of their application are rarely adequately described. The website offers an array of tools including the TECA database currently containing over 500 entries organised in 8 different categories (i.e. 1) production technology - animal production; 2) production technology - crop and horticultural production, grassland; 3) production technology - forest and NTFP (non timber forest products); 4) food and agricultural industries and post harvest (FAIPH) - animal products; 5) FAIPH - crop and horticultural products; 6) FAIPH - forest and NTFP; 7) natural resources management; 8) fishery and fish culture). Biotechnology-related entries can be selected in the database by clicking on 'bioteca' in the 'Application' field. See http://www.fao.org/sd/teca/index_en.asp (available in English, French and Spanish) or contact Teca-editor@fao.org for more information.

FAO book on rice population improvement

FAO has just published "Population improvement: A way of exploiting the rice genetic resources of Latin America", edited by E.P. Guimarães. The book contains 17 chapters, written by experts in their field, presenting "a series of theoretical and practical examples of how novel use of a broad genetic base and application of population breeding methods can help push the rice crop’s production beyond its current yield plateau". Two of the chapters focus on use of molecular markers. The book is a translation of "Mejoramiento poblacional, una alternativa para explorar los recursos genéticos del arroz en América Latina", first published in 2003. See http://www.fao.org/docrep/008/y5843e/y5843e00.HTM or contact elcio.guimaraes@fao.org to request a copy.

FAO/IAEA Insect Pest Control Newsletter 65

The July 2005 newsletter (nr. 65) from the Insect Pest Control Section of the Joint FAO/IAEA Division of Nuclear Techniques in Food and Agriculture and the FAO/IAEA Agriculture and Biotechnology Laboratory is now available. The newsletter, issued twice a year, gives an overview of activities of the Section, which include research into the application of molecular biology for the development of modified strains of insects for future pest control applications. The 31-page newsletter includes, inter alia, a short report from the 2nd FAO/IAEA International Conference on "Area-wide control of insect pests: Integrating the sterile insect and related nuclear and other techniques”, held on 9-13 May 2005 in Vienna, Austria, where the potential role of modern biotechnology, including transgenic crops and insects, in area-wide insect pest control applications was also debated. See http://www.iaea.org/programmes/nafa/d4/public/ipc-nl-65.pdf (1.5 MB) or contact w.enkerlin@iaea.org to subscribe to the newsletter.

FAO/IAEA Plant Breeding and Genetics Newsletter 15

The July 2005 newsletter from the Plant Breeding and Genetics Section of the Joint FAO/IAEA Division of Nuclear Techniques in Food and Agriculture and the FAO/IAEA Agriculture and Biotechnology Laboratory is now available. The 19-page newsletter, issued twice a year, gives an overview of their past and upcoming events (meetings, training courses etc.), ongoing projects and publications. See http://www-naweb.iaea.org/nafa/pbg/public/pb-nl-15.pdf (1.8 MB) or contact k.allaf@iaea.org to request a copy.

ESCWA web-based forum on biotechnology

The UN Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA) is running a web-based discussion forum on "Biotechnology; technical and policy implications in the Near East and North Africa Region" from 1-30 September 2005. The 4 main themes for discussion are biotechnology and food security; policy focus and priority issues; biosafety - recent trends and future prospects and, finally, capacity building in biotechnology. The main language is English but contributions in Arabic may be sent for translation to English and subsequent posting. See http://www.escwa.org.lb/information/meetings/events/bio/main.html or contact bizri@un.org for more information.

Scientific and Technical Review issue on animal biotechnology

The World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) publishes three issues of the Scientific and Technical Review journal each year. The latest issue [volume 24 (1)] is dedicated to "Biotechnology applications in animal health and production", edited by A.A. MacKenzie. Containing 35 papers, the issue "provides a comprehensive and thought-provoking overview of the challenges and opportunities that biotechnology presents for veterinary science. It focuses on the application of biotechnology to animal production systems and examines the issues this raises for veterinary services and other administrations involved in animal health, veterinary public health, and food safety". See the issue or contact publications.dept@oie.int for more information.

OECD Biotechnology Update nr. 15

Issue number 15 (July 2005) of the OECD Biotechnology Update has just been published. The 22-page newsletter aims to provide up-to-date information on the diverse activities at the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) related to biotechnology. See http://www.oecd.org/dataoecd/21/38/35164851.pdf or contact icgb@oecd.org for more information.

IFPRI discussion paper on evaluating GM crop policies

As part of its EPTD (Environment and Production Technology Division) Discussion Papers series, the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) has published "Analysis for biotechnology innovations using strategic environmental assessment (SEA)" by N.A. Linacre and co-authors. The paper considers use of SEA in a policy research and priority setting process regarding new technologies, taking genetically modified crops as an example. See http://www.ifpri.org/divs/eptd/dp/eptdp140.htm or contact ifpri@cgiar.org for more information.

July

FAO-BiotechNews 50 and FAO-BiotechNews-Ru

This marks the 50th Update of FAO-BiotechNews, which was first launched in English in January 2002. The Updates have carried almost 500 news and event items relevant to applications of biotechnology in the crop, forestry, animal, fishery and agro-industrial sectors of developing countries, focusing mainly on the activities of FAO, other UN agencies/bodies and the 15 CGIAR research centres. They can be searched in Arabic, Chinese, English, French or Spanish at http://www.fao.org/biotech/archive.asp. On this occasion, we are also happy to announce, in collaboration with the FAO Regional Office for Europe, the launching of FAO-BiotechNews-Ru, the Russian version of this e-mail newsletter. To subscribe, send an e-mail to mailserv@mailserv.fao.org with the subject blank and the following one-line text message:

subscribe FAO-BiotechNews-Ru-L

Global study on biotechnology in forestry

In a press release of 13 July 2005, FAO reports that research and applications of biotechnology in forestry are advancing rapidly and it calls for systematic assessment of genetically modified trees. The press release follows publication of a new global study of biotechnology in forestry conducted by FAO. Of the over 2,700 major biotechnology activities reported in the world over the last 10 years, the study indicates that 34% were related to micropropagation, 26% to use of molecular markers for diversity studies, 21% to mapping, marker assisted selection and genomics and, finally, 19% to genetic modification. See the press release (http://www.fao.org/newsroom/en/news/2005/104906/index.html - in Arabic, English, French and Spanish), the global study (http://www.fao.org/docrep/008/ae574e/ae574e00.htm) or contact forest-genetic-resources@fao.org for more information.

Plant breeding and biotechnology capacity - Workshop report

On 9-11 February 2005, FAO's Crop and Grassland Service organised a workshop entitled "The way forward to strengthen national plant breeding and biotechnology capacity" in Rome, Italy. The objectives were to bring together participants from developing countries of Africa, Asia and South America, representing a variety of backgrounds and expertise, to discuss the problem of the decline in plant breeding and how this might be remedied. The workshop aimed to provide guidance on, and detail linkages between, modern and traditional plant breeding. The necessary move from conservation of plant genetic resources for food and agriculture (PGRFA) to sustainable use was also a major discussion point. See the workshop report at http://www.fao.org/docrep/008/af081e/af081e00.htm or contact elcio.guimaraes@fao.org for more information.

E-mail conference on biotechnology and genetic resources finished

The FAO e-mail conference entitled "The role of biotechnology for the characterisation and conservation of crop, forest, animal and fishery genetic resources in developing countries" is now finished. It ran from 6 June to 3 July 2005, about 650 people subscribed and 127 messages were posted, from people in 38 different countries. Over 60% of messages came from developing countries. Of the biotechnologies discussed, most focus was on molecular markers with much less emphasis on cryopreservation or in vitro culture. Discussions covered a wide range of issues relevant to crop, forest, animal and fishery genetic resources, such as the potential role or value that markers have for prioritising populations for conservation purposes or for characterising different populations; advantages and disadvantages of different marker systems; potential importance of DNA banks; international collaboration and capacity building; and low cost options for tissue culture. The messages are available at http://www.fao.org/biotech/logs/c13logs.htm or can be requested as a single e-mail (size 184 KB) from biotech-admin@fao.org.

Proceedings of FAO Rice Conference

As part of the International Year of Rice, FAO organised the International Rice Conference on 12-13 February 2004 in Rome, Italy. The main theme of the second day was "Sustainable rice-based production systems: Challenges and opportunities". The International Rice Commission (IRC) has now published the 12 papers from this session (including e.g. "Potentials and limitations of biotechnology in rice" by R. Coffman, S.R. McCouch and R.W. Herdt), plus an introductory Overview section, as IRC Newsletter 53. The IRC works within the framework of FAO and currently has 61 member countries. See http://www.fao.org/docrep/008/y5682e/y5682e00.htm or contact nguu.nguyen@fao.org for more information.

FAO book on fodder oats

As part of the FAO Plant Production and Protection Series, FAO's Crop and Grassland Service has just published "Fodder oats: A world overview", edited by J.M. Suttie and S.G. Reynolds. The 13-chapter book brings together information on the state of fodder oats worldwide, and is aimed mainly at agronomists and extension workers. Information from all regions of the world is provided by contributing authors who are regional experts in their field and particular attention is given to countries where fodder oats are, or are becoming, important in the smallholder sector. The book also provides some information on breeding programmes in different regions, describing e.g. hybridisation, wide crossing and tissue culture in China. See http://www.fao.org/docrep/008/y5765e/y5765e00.htm or contact eric.kueneman@fao.org to request a copy.

Genetically improved and alien species for aquaculture in Africa

On 20-23 February 2002, an “Expert consultation on biosafety and environmental impact of genetic enhancement and introduction of improved and alien species in Africa” was held in Nairobi, Kenya, organised by the WorldFish Center in collaboration with FAO, the Convention on Biological Diversity, Technical Center for Agriculture and Rural Cooperation, World Conservation Union and United Nations Environment Programme. Proceedings of the meeting, edited by M.V. Gupta, D.M. Bartley and B.O. Acosta, are now available entitled "Use of genetically improved and alien species for aquaculture and conservation of aquatic biodiversity in Africa". The proceedings review "the potential and constraints for aquaculture development in Africa, the status and potential for genetic improvement, introductions and risks of introduced improved and alien species, and tools and policies for introductions and movements of improved and alien species". See http://www.worldfishcenter.org/Pubs/alien_species/alien-species.htm or contact worldfishcenter@cgiar.org for more information.

FAO/IAEA Animal Production and Health Newsletter 42

The July 2005 newsletter (nr. 42) from the Animal Production and Health Section of the Joint FAO/IAEA Division of Nuclear Techniques in Food and Agriculture and the FAO/IAEA Agriculture and Biotechnology Laboratory is now available. The newsletter, issued twice a year, gives an overview of past and upcoming projects, publications and events. See http://www.iaea.org/programmes/nafa/d3/public/ap-nl-42.pdf (1.2 MB) or contact R.Schellander@iaea.org for more information.

WHO study on genetically modified foods

In April 2002, the Department of Food Safety, Zoonoses and Foodborne Diseases (formerly the Food Safety Department) of the World Health Organisation commissioned a study of the human health and development implications of genetically modified (GM) organisms and food products. The study involved a wide range of stakeholders, including FAO, the United Nations Environment Programme, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development and other international organizations. The report of the study, entitled "Modern food biotechnology, human health and development: an evidence-based study", has now been published. It presents an evidence-based analysis of GM foods in relation to several areas of interest. These areas are: the current and future use of GM foods, human health and environmental risk considerations for GM foods, the need for capacity building in developing countries, the issue of food security and social and ethical concerns as they relate to GM foods. See http://www.who.int/foodsafety/biotech/who_study/en/index.html (in English, French and Spanish) or contact foodsafety@who.int for more information.

Cartagena Protocol reports

The report of the 2nd meeting of the Conference of the Parties serving as the meeting of Parties to the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety (COP-MOP/2), that took place from 30 May to 3 June 2005 in Montreal, Canada, is now available in all six official UN languages (i.e. Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish). See document UNEP/CBD/BS/COP-MOP/2/15 at http://www.biodiv.org/doc/meeting.aspx?mtg=MOP-02. In addition, the 19-page report of the 1st meeting of the Ad Hoc Open-ended Working Group of Legal and Technical Experts on Liability and Redress in the Context of the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety, held on 25-27 May 2005 in Montreal, Canada, is also available on the same webpage in these six languages (document UNEP/CBD/BS/COP-MOP/2/11). Contact secretariat@biodiv.org if requiring further information.

Report of the 2nd Aarhus Convention meeting

The report of the 2nd meeting of the Parties to the Aarhus Convention (i.e. the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) Convention on Access to Information, Public Participation in Decision-making and Access to Justice in Environmental Matters), that took place on 25-27 May 2005 in Almaty, Kazakhstan, is now available. At the meeting, Decision II/1 on Genetically Modified Organisms (ECE/MP.PP/2005/2/Add.2) was adopted. See the report, together with the decisions adopted and relevant documents, at http://www.unece.org/env/pp/mop2/mop2.decisions.htm or contact public.participation@unece.org for more information.

UNEP-GEF Biosafety Newsletter 7

The 7th issue of the UNEP-GEF Biosafety Newsletter was published in June 2005. The 4-page newsletter gives an update on UNEP-GEF (United Nations Environment Programme - Global Environment Facility) projects on participation in the Biosafety Clearing House and on the development and implementation of national biosafety frameworks. The previous issue was published in September 2004. See http://www.unep.ch/biosafety/newsletter/newsletter_7.pdf or contact biosafety@unep.ch for more information.

Proceedings of forestry biotechnology workshop

As part of the Global Biotechnology Forum, organised by the United Nations Industrial Development Organization and the Government of Chile, the Forestry Biotechnology Workshop was held on 3-5 March 2004 in Concepcíon, Chile. Proceedings of the workshop, edited by R. Kellison, S. McCord and K.M.A. Gartland, are now available. Apart from a keynote address on the future of forest biotechnology, papers were presented on three main topics - propagation and cloning; molecular markers and proteomics; and GMOs in forestry. See http://www.forestbiotech.org/pdffiles/ChlePDFfinal31Jan2005.pdf (1.8 MB) or contact susan_mccord@forestbiotech.org for more information.

73rd General Session of the OIE

The 73rd General Session of the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) took place on 22-27 May 2005 in Paris, France. Technical Item II was dedicated to "Applications of genetic engineering for livestock and biotechnology products", where a 21-page document (by A.A. Mackenzie) was presented, based mainly on answers received from OIE Member Countries to a questionnaire on this subject, and where Resolution XXVIII was adopted. The OIE is an inter-governmental organisation with 167 Member Countries. See http://www.oie.int/eng/oie/actes/en_rfinal.htm (in English, French and Spanish) or contact oie@oie.int for more information.

OECD - Consensus document on new varieties of alfalfa and other temperate forage legumes

The OECD Environment, Health and Safety Division has published the "Consensus document on compositional considerations for new varieties of alfalfa and other temperate forage legumes: Key feed nutrients, anti-nutrients and secondary plant metabolites". It is number 13 in its Series on the Safety of Novel Foods and Feeds. See http://appli1.oecd.org/olis/2005doc.nsf/linkto/env-jm-mono(2005)13 or contact ehscont@oecd.org for more information.

Rice blast proceedings

As part of a collaborative strategic research program involving the West Africa Rice Development Association (WARDA - Africa Rice Center), among others, a workshop on "Strategic characterisation of blast pathogen diversity, key screening sites and host resistance" was held on 5 March 2003 in Accra, Ghana. Proceedings of the workshop, edited by Y. Séré, S. Sreenivasaprasad and S.K. Nutsugah, are now available, entitled "Rice blast in West Africa: Characterisation of pathogen diversity, key screening sites and host resistance". It includes the workshop report, full papers covering various presentations and useful appendices and "is intended to serve as a reference manual for scientists involved in rice blast research and management in Africa, particularly the West African region". Rice blast is an important disease caused by a fungus and is one of the major constraints to rice production. See http://www.warda.cgiar.org/publications/Blast/index.htm or contact warda@cgiar.org for more information. WARDA is one of the 15 research centres supported by the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research.

June

Monitoring environmental effects of GM crops

On 18-20 January 2005 an expert consultation entitled "Genetically modified organisms in crop production and their effects on the environment: Methodologies for monitoring and the way ahead" was held at FAO headquarters, Rome, jointly organised by FAO's Plant Production and Protection Division and the FAO Working Groups on Biodiversity and Biotechnology. The meeting report is now available. See the Executive Summary (in Arabic, Chinese, English, French and Spanish - at http://www.fao.org/ag/), the 33-page report (in English - at ftp://ftp.fao.org/docrep/fao/008/ae738e/ae738e00.pdf) or contact biotech-safety@fao.org for more information.

Economic and socio-economic impacts of agricultural biotechnology in developing countries

FAO's Research and Technology Development Service has just published an "Annotated bibliography on the economic and socio-economic impact of agricultural biotechnology in developing countries". The 112-page document brings together a wide range of assessments of the economic and socio-economic impact of agricultural biotechnology (both GMO and non-GMO) in developing countries. Due to the limited availability of literature on the impact of biotechnology applications in other sectors, it focuses on crop biotechnology but also includes a small number of studies on forestry and livestock. See ftp://ftp.fao.org/sd/SDR/SDRR/bibliography1.pdf or contact SDRR-portal@fao.org for more information or to provide comments.

Risk communication manual - GM crops

The FAO Regional project on Capacity Building in Biosafety of GM Crops in Asia (Asian BioNet) has just published a training manual on risk communication. The manual's intended users are the government, as the science regulator, and scientists and it focuses on communicating the risks associated with the use of genetically modified crops. The 30-page manual is organised into five modules (principles of risk communication; message map; developing the message; communicating risks; use of tri-media in risk communication) and was the main output of a regional training workshop on public awareness and participation, held on 21-25 June 2004 in Manila, the Philippines. See the manual or contact Banpot.Napompeth@fao.org for more information. The Asian BioNet project is funded by the government of Japan and is based at the FAO Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific in Bangkok, Thailand.

Codex Committee on Food Labelling - 33rd session report

The report of the 33rd Session of the Codex Committee on Food Labelling, which took place on 9-13 May 2005 in Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia, is now available. Agenda items 5b and 5a dealt with "Proposed draft guidelines for the labelling of foods and food ingredients obtained through certain techniques of genetic modification/genetic engineering: Labelling provisions" and "Draft amendment to the general standard for the labelling of prepackaged foods (Draft recommendations for the labelling of foods obtained through certain techniques of genetic modification/genetic engineering): Definitions" respectively, and are covered in paragraphs 46-64 of the report. See report ALINORM 05/28/22 at http://www.codexalimentarius.net/web/reports.jsp or contact codex@fao.org for further information.

Ex situ conservation of forest genetic diversity

The third volume in a set of three guides to the conservation and management of forest (tree and shrub) genetic resources has just been published on the web, entitled "Forest genetic resources conservation and management: In plantations and genebanks (ex situ)". The 86-page document was prepared as a common effort between FAO, the Danida Forest Tree Seed Centre (now part of Forest and Landscape Denmark, KVL) and the International Plant Genetic Resources Institute (IPGRI). It outlines the role of ex situ conservation and reviews some of the strategies that may be employed: the managed development of ex situ populations, as well as storage methods, in the field and in seed banks, for ex situ genetic resources. A wide range of issues are covered, including use of molecular markers or storage of non-orthodox species using cryopreservation, in vitro culture or DNA banks. See http://www.ipgri.cgiar.org/publications/pdf/1053.pdf or contact forest-genetic-resources@fao.org for a free copy. The first 2 volumes dealt with the basic principles and with in situ conservation respectively (see http://www.fao.org/forestry/site/16348/en).

Developing Country Biotechnology Profiles updated

In April 2004, FAO launched "Developing Country Biotechnology Profiles", a searchable database aiming to provide easy access to key, updated sources of biotechnology-related information about individual developing countries (including countries with economies in transition). For each country, information may be stored on the following 11 subjects: biotechnology research policy; research capacity (key institutions; summary of major research programmes); biotechnology regulatory framework (biosafety; food safety; patents; plant variety protection; plant genetic resources; animal genetic resources); biotechnology applications and, finally, publications and links. The database has been updated and information is now available on 128 countries. The database is a feature in FAO-BioDeC and is accessed by clicking the "Country Profiles" button on the left hand menu of the FAO-BioDeC webpage (http://www.fao.org/biotech/inventory_admin/dep/default.asp). Contact FAO-BioDeC@fao.org to provide comments or to request more information.

Report of COP-MOP/2

The 2nd meeting of the Conference of the Parties serving as the meeting of Parties to the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety (COP-MOP/2) took place from 30 May to 3 June 2005 in Montreal, Canada. The 61-page meeting report is now available. See http://www.biodiv.org/doc/meetings/bs/mop-02/official/mop-02-15-en.pdf or contact secretariat@biodiv.org for further information.

GMOs decision at the 2nd meeting of the Parties to the Aarhus Convention

The 2nd meeting of the Parties to the Aarhus Convention (i.e. the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) Convention on Access to Information, Public Participation in Decision-making and Access to Justice in Environmental Matters) took place on 25-27 May 2005 in Almaty, Kazakhstan. One of the decisions adopted concerned the role of the public in decisions involving GMOs. See a UNECE press release "Governments reach agreement on public participation in decision-making on genetically modified organisms" at http://www.unece.org/press/pr2005/05env_p06e.htm or contact public.participation@unece.org for more information. The UNECE is one of five regional commissions of the UN and has 55 Member countries from North America, Western, Central and Eastern Europe and Central Asia. There are 35 Parties to the Aarhus Convention.

Bioprospecting of genetic resources in seabed areas

The United Nations University's Institute of Advanced Studies (UNU-IAS) has just published a report entitled "Bioprospecting of genetic resources in the deep seabed: Scientific, legal and policy aspects", by S. Arico and C. Salpin. The study aims to provide a factual review of the scientific, legal and policy aspects related to bioprospecting in seabed areas beyond national jurisdiction. Chapter 4 of the 62-page report is entitled "Overview of global biotechnology and bioprospecting trends". See http://www.ias.unu.edu/binaries2/DeepSeabed.pdf (750 KB) or contact unuias@ias.unu.edu for more information.

OECD report on biotechnology in India

As part of its STI Working Paper series, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Directorate for Science, Technology and Industry (STI) has just published "Dynamics of biotechnology research and industry in India: Statistics, perspectives and key policy issues" by S. Chaturvedi. The 62-page paper provides an inventory of biotechnology data collection in India, including an assessment of how the need for biotechnology-related statistics is being addressed. It also presents an overview of the status of biotechnology in India, with a focus on the agricultural and health sectors. See http://www.oecd.org/dataoecd/43/35/34947073.pdf or contact dsti.contact@oecd.org for more information.

OECD biodiversity and biosafety policy brief

The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) recently released an 8-page Policy Brief entitled "Preserving biodiversity and promoting biosafety". See http://www.oecd.org/dataoecd/4/4/34932656.pdf or contact icgb@oecd.org for more information.

IFPRI/FANRPAN book - Biotechnology in Southern Africa

As part of a regional policy dialogue on "Biotechnology, agriculture, and food security in Southern Africa", the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) and the Food, Agriculture, and Natural Resource Policy Analysis Network (FANRPAN), convened its first meeting on 25-26 April 2003 in Johannesburg, South Africa. Seven background papers were prepared as input into the meeting. Two of them (a regional synthesis paper and a paper on concepts and practices of multi-stakeholder processes) were presented and discussed while the other five papers (addressing political and ethical issues raised by biotechnology, food safety and consumer issues, biosafety, intellectual property rights, and trade) were not formally presented. These seven papers as well as two synthesis chapters by the editors have now been put together in a 297-page book entitled "Biotechnology, agriculture, and food security in Southern Africa", edited by S.W. Omamo and K. von Grebmer. See http://www.ifpri.org/pubs/books/oc46.htm or contact ifpri@cgiar.org for more information. IFPRI is one of the 15 research centres supported by the CGIAR.

La Biotecnología en el Salón de Clases - CD-ROM

A group of professionals from the Centro Internacional de Agricultura Tropical (CIAT) has produced, in collaboration with a group of schoolteachers in Cali, Colombia, Spanish-language educational materials related to biotechnology. These are now available as a CD-ROM entitled "La Biotecnología en el salón de clases" (Biotechnology goes to school), which aims to create a space where students can learn about biotechnology and become familiar with several of its techniques. See http://www.ciat.cgiar.org/biotechnology/launching_cd.htm or contact c.s.zuniga@cgiar.org for more information. CIAT is one of the 15 research centres supported by the CGIAR.

May

Summary of biotechnology in forestry, including genetic modification - FAO report

As part of its Forest Genetic Resources Working Papers series, FAO's Forest Resources Division has just published a "Preliminary review of biotechnology in forestry, including genetic modification". The document provides a summary of four studies commissioned by FAO between 2002 and 2004 to investigate the worldwide extent and patterns of biotechnology research and application in forest trees. According to the report's Executive Summary, "though no doubt incomplete, the resulting data set of over 2,700 major biotechnology activities (from the last 10 years) and responses to questionnaires provides a comprehensive summary of worldwide activities, particularly those in the public domain". Individual reports are provided in Appendixes 2.1–2.4 (Biotechnology in the forestry sector, by G. Chaix and O. Monteuuis; A global study on the state of forest tree genetic modification, by C. Walter and S. Killerby; The state of genetically modified forest trees in China, by H. Wang; Anticipated contribution to and scale of impact of biotechnology in forestry, by Y.A. El-Kassaby). The Executive Summary and Chapter 1 (Synthesis: a snapshot of the global status and trends in forest biotechnology) are both by N. Wheeler. See http://www.fao.org/docrep/008/ae574e/ae574e00.htm or contact forest-genetic-resources@fao.org for more information.

FAO e-mail conference on biotechnology and characterisation/conservation of genetic resources - Background document

The background document for the FAO e-mail conference entitled "The role of biotechnology for the characterisation and conservation of crop, forest, animal and fishery genetic resources in developing countries" is now available. The 16-page document gives an overview of the current status of genetic resources in the different food and agricultural sectors; a description of relevant biotechnologies (such as molecular markers, cryopreservation and reproductive technologies); and a discussion of some potential factors that may influence applications of biotechnology in developing countries in this area. See http://www.fao.org/biotech/C13doc.htm or contact biotech-admin@fao.org to request a copy of the document by e-mail. The e-mail conference, which is moderated and open to everyone, runs from 6 June to 3 July 2005 and is hosted by the FAO Biotechnology Forum. To join the Forum (and also register for the conference), send an e-mail to mailserv@mailserv.fao.org leaving the subject blank and entering only the following text on two separate lines:

subscribe BIOTECH-L

subscribe biotech-room1

Forum members wishing to register for the conference should leave out the first line of the above message. For more information, contact biotech-mod1@fao.org.

Status of crop biotechnologies in developing countries - FAO report

In 2003, FAO launched an on-line searchable database called FAO-BioDeC, providing information on biotechnology products/techniques in use or in the pipeline in developing countries (including countries with economies in transition). A report by Z. Dhlamini and co-authors, entitled "Status of research and application of crop biotechnologies in developing countries: Preliminary assessment", has just been published which provides a first analysis of about 2,000 crop-sector entries from 71 developing countries contained in the database as of 31 August 2004. Entries cover genetically modified (GM) crops and non-GM biotechnologies (such as micropropagation, molecular markers, diagnostics (e.g. ELISA) and microbial techniques). See an FAO press release at http://www.fao.org/newsroom/en/news/2005/102236/index.html (in Arabic, English, French and Spanish); download the 53-page report from http://www.fao.org/docrep/008/y5800e/y5800e00.htm or contact charlotte.lietaer@fao.org to request a copy.

Codex Committee on Methods of Analysis and Sampling - 26th session report

The report of the 26th Session of the Codex Committee on Methods of Analysis and Sampling, held on 4-8 April 2005 in Budapest, Hungary, is now available. Agenda item 7 was "Criteria for the methods for the detection and identification of foods derived from biotechnology". See the agenda and meeting report (ALINORM 05/28/23) at http://www.codexalimentarius.net/web/reports.jsp?lang=en or contact codex@fao.org for further information. The Joint FAO/WHO Codex Alimentarius Commission is an intergovernmental body set up to establish international standards on foods.

FAO/IAEA Plant Breeding and Genetics Newsletter 14

The December 2004 newsletter from the Plant Breeding and Genetics Section of the Joint FAO/IAEA Division of Nuclear Techniques in Food and Agriculture and the FAO/IAEA Agriculture and Biotechnology Laboratory is now available. The 20-page newsletter, issued twice a year, gives an overview of their past and upcoming events (meetings, training courses etc.), ongoing projects and publications. See http://www.iaea.org/programmes/nafa/d2/public/pbg-nl-14.pdf (1055 KB) or contact k.allaf@iaea.org to request a copy.

Documents for COP-MOP/2

The 2nd meeting of the Conference of the Parties serving as the meeting of Parties to the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety (COP-MOP/2) takes place from 30 May to 3 June 2005 in Montreal, Canada. Sixteen official documents (available in Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish) and 10 information documents (English only) are currently available. Official documents recently put on the web include those on risk assessment and risk management; handling, transport, packaging and identification of Living Modified Organisms; socio-economic considerations; and the report of the meeting of the Open-ended Technical Expert Group on Identification Requirements of Living Modified Organisms intended for direct use as Food or Feed, or for Processing (LMOs-FFP) that took place on 16-18 March 2005 in Montreal, Canada. See http://www.biodiv.org/doc/meeting.aspx?mtg=MOP-02 or contact secretariat@biodiv.org for further information.

UNCTAD study on GMOs and trade

As part of its Study Series on Policy Issues in International Trade and Commodities, the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) has just published "International trade in GMOs and GM products: National and multilateral legal frameworks" by S. Zarrilli. The 57-page report covers domestic legislation on agro-biotechnology in selected developed and developing countries; the multilateral legal framework; and actual and potential GM-related trade disputes. This UNCTAD Study Series aims to analyse policy issues and to stimulate discussions in the area of international trade and development. See http://www.unctad.org/en/docs/itcdtab30_en.pdf or contact Simonetta.Zarrilli@unctad.org to request a copy or to obtain further information.

Carp genetic resources for aquaculture

The WorldFish Center has just published "Carp genetic resources for aquaculture in Asia", edited by D.J. Penman, M.V. Gupta and M.D. Dey. This 152-page publication focuses on species that are bred in hatcheries and used in aquaculture and restocking activities, although introduced and threatened species in Asia are also discussed. One of the 7 chapters, entitled "Progress in carp genetics research" (by D.J. Penman), reviews progress in genetic research relevant to aquaculture of the species in Asia, including cytogenetics, genetic markers, interspecific hybridization, chromosome set manipulations and polyploidy, sex determination and its manipulation, gene transfer, cryopreservation and tissue culture. See http://www.worldfishcenter.org/Pubs/CarpGen/Carp_Genetics.htm or contact worldfishcenter@cgiar.org for more information. The WorldFish Center is one of the 15 research centres supported by the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research.

IFPRI discussion papers on phytoremediation

As part of its EPTD (Environment and Production Technology Division) Discussion Papers series, the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) has just published 2 papers on phytoremediation (using plants to clean up polluted or contaminated sites), entitled "Incorporating project uncertainty in novel environmental biotechnologies: Illustrated using phytoremediation" (by N.A. Linacre, S.N. Whiting and J.S. Angle) and "Ecological risks of novel environmental crop technologies using phytoremediation as an example" (by J.S. Angle and N.A. Linacre). See http://www.ifpri.org/divs/eptd/eptpubs.htm#dp or contact ifpri-ept@cgiar.org for more information. IFPRI Division Discussion Papers contain preliminary material and research results and are circulated in order to stimulate discussion and critical comment.

Understanding the gender dimensions of biotechnology R&D - Workshops report

The report is now available of two recent regional consultative expert workshops, convened by the Gender Advisory Board of the UN Commission on Science and Technology for Development, on "Understanding the gender dimensions of biotechnology research and development". The workshops were held on 26-27 November 2004 in Pretoria, South Africa (co-hosted by the University of Pretoria) and on 30 November - 1 December 2004 in Islamabad, Pakistan (co-hosted by the National Commission on Biotechnology). See http://gstgateway.wigsat.org/TA/ethics/biotech.html or contact shuyer@wigsat.org for more information.

Impact of IPRs on the plant breeding industry in developing countries

A report commissioned by the World Bank, entitled "Impacts of strengthened intellectual property rights regimes on the plant breeding industry in developing countries: A synthesis of five case studies" is now available on the web. Prepared by N.P. Louwaars and co-authors, this 176-page report attempts to survey and analyse the design, management and impacts of various IPR instruments applied to plant breeding in China, Colombia, India, Kenya and Uganda. The study focuses on patents, plant breeder’s rights systems and trademarks and on three types of crops (export crops, crops with good commercial seed potential and crops that attract little commercial seed interest). IPRs on biotechnology processes and products are also considered in the report. See http://www.cgn.wageningen-ur.nl/pgr/images/IPR%20in%20breeding%20industry.pdf or contact cgn@wur.nl for more information.

SBSTTA meeting - GURTs recommendation

The Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical and Technological Advice (SBSTTA) is an open-ended inter-governmental scientific advisory body of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity. Its 10th meeting took place on 7-11 February 2005 in Bangkok, Thailand, where it adopted 13 recommendations, one of them (X/11) entitled "Advice on the report of the Ad Hoc Technical Expert Group on the Genetic Use Restriction Technologies". See the recommendations at http://www.biodiv.org/convention/sbstta.asp ; the 95-page meeting report at http://www.biodiv.org/doc/meetings/cop/cop-08/official/cop-08-02-en.pdf or contact secretariat@biodiv.org for more information.

UNCTAD-ICTSD Resource book on TRIPS and development

As part of the Capacity Building Project on Intellectual Property Rights (IPRs) and Sustainable Development, implemented by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) and the International Centre for Trade and Sustainable Development (ICTSD), a new publication entitled "Resource book on TRIPS and development" is now available on the web. The book "is conceived as a guide to the WTO Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS). It provides a detailed analysis of each provision of the Agreement, aiming at a sound understanding of WTO Members' rights and obligations". Section 2.5.5 of the book is entitled "Patents: Biotechnological inventions: Genetic resources, plant variety protection, traditional knowledge". See http://www.iprsonline.org/unctadictsd/ResourceBookIndex_update.htm or contact ictsd@ictsd.ch for more information.

CGIAR guiding principles on inadvertent presence of transgenes in ex situ collections

At a meeting in Patancheru, India, on 28 February - 2 March 2005, the Genetic Resources Policy Committee (GRPC) of the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) agreed a final text of "Guiding principles for the development of Future Harvest Centers’ policies to address the possibility of unintentional presence of transgenes in ex-situ collections". Draft guidelines were drawn up in 2004 and circulated to a wide range of stakeholders for comments. The GRPC now recommends that the text be adopted by the CGIAR research centres. See http://ipgri-pa.grinfo.net/index.php?itemid=788 or contact j.cherfas@cgiar.org for further information.

March

FAO-BioDeC database expanded - Forestry sector

In 2003, FAO launched an on-line searchable database called FAO-BioDeC providing information on crop biotechnology products/techniques in use or in the pipeline in developing countries (including countries with economies in transition). The database has now been expanded to include data from the forestry sector. In addition, some initial data from livestock has now been included while the crop sector data has also been updated. FAO-BioDeC now contains over 2,000 entries from crops, 700 from forestry and 100 from animals. The database is still evolving and verification and regular updating of information in the database is also being done through a network of national correspondents that have volunteered for the task. See http://www.fao.org/biotech/inventory_admin/dep/default.asp or contact FAO-BioDeC@fao.org for more information or if interested in volunteering to be a FAO-BioDeC national correspondent. Ideally, correspondents should be working in the public sector, specialising in agricultural biotechnology or in a related area, and they should be up-to-date with the status of development, adoption and application of biotechnologies in their country. There are currently 55 correspondents in 52 countries (http://www.fao.org/biotech/inventory_admin/biodec-corr.htm).

Characterisation/conservation of genetic resources - Workshop proceedings

On 5-7 March 2005, an international workshop was held in Turin, Italy entitled "The role of biotechnology for the characterisation and conservation of crop, forestry, animal and fishery genetic resources", organised by the FAO Working Group on Biotechnology, the Fondazione per le Biotecnologie, the ECONOGENE project and the Società Italiana di Genetica Agraria. Proceedings of the workshop have now been made available on the web. The 20 papers, covering applications of molecular markers, cryopreservation and reproductive technologies, are organised in the following way: Session I on the status of the world's agricultural biodiversity; Session II on the use of biotechnology for conservation of genetic resources; Session IV on genetic characterisation of populations and its use in conservation decision-making. Session III presented results from ECONOGENE, a European Union funded project combining a molecular analysis of biodiversity, socio-economics and geostatistics to address the conservation of sheep and goat genetic resources and rural development in marginal agrosystems in Europe. The workshop was held as part of the build up to Conference 13 of the FAO Biotechnology Forum. See http://www.fao.org/biotech/torino05.htm or contact mail@fobiotech.org to request the proceedings by e-mail.

Codex Committee on Food Labelling - 33rd Session

The 33rd Session of the Codex Committee on Food Labelling (CCFL) takes place on 9-13 May 2005 in Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia. Item nr. 5 on the agenda is "Labelling of foods and food ingredients obtained through certain techniques of genetic modification / genetic engineering". See the meeting agenda at http://www.codexalimentarius.net/web/current.jsp (in English, French and Spanish), some background to the CCFL's work on labelling of GM foods, at http://www.fao.org/ag/agn/food/risk_biotech_label_en.stm, or contact codex@fao.org for further information.

State of the World's Forests 2005

The State of the World's Forests 2005 was released by FAO this week and has the theme "realizing the economic benefits from forests". This is the sixth edition of the publication which reports every two years on the status of forests, recent major policy and institutional developments and key issues concerning the forest sector. The chapter on "Management, conservation and sustainable development of forests" covers, among other things, developments in biotechnology in forestry. See http://www.fao.org/docrep/007/y5574e/y5574e00.htm (in Arabic, Chinese, English, French and Spanish) or contact forestry-information@fao.org for more information.

Animal Genetic Resources Information bulletin 35

The latest edition (nr. 35) of the Animal Genetic Resources Information (AGRI) bulletin has now been published, including a paper on "Use of DNA markers to assist with product traceability and pedigree analysis and their role in breed conservation" by G.L.H. Alderson and G.S. Plastow. AGRI includes articles (in English, French or Spanish) on all aspects of the characterisation, conservation and utilisation of animal genetic resources of interest to food and agriculture production and is edited in the Animal Genetic Resources group of FAO's Animal Production and Health Division. See http://dad.fao.org/en/refer/library/agri/agri35.pdf or contact agri-bulletin@fao.org for more information.

Vaccination strategies in African farmyard poultry production

The joint FAO/IAEA Division of Nuclear Techniques in Food and Agriculture has been executing a Coordinated Research Project (CRP) on "Assessment of the effectiveness of vaccination strategies against Newcastle disease and Gumboro Disease using immunoassay-based technologies for increasing farmyard poultry production in Africa". The final meeting of the project was held on 24-28 May 2004 in Vienna, Austria and from this, conclusions, recommendations, ranking of interventions to improve village poultry production and recommended future activities to increase farmyard poultry production in Africa are now available. The proceedings of the CRP will be published soon. See http://www.iaea.org/programmes/nafa/d3/mtc/04_rcm.html or contact G.J.Viljoen@iaea.org for more information.

Second meeting of the Parties to the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety

The second meeting of the Conference of the Parties serving as the meeting of Parties to the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety (COP-MOP/2) takes place from 30 May to 3 June 2005 in Montreal, Canada. Two information documents and 10 official documents (most available in Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish), covering areas such as public awareness/participation, capacity-building activities and notification requirements, are currently available. See http://www.biodiv.org/doc/meeting.asp?mtg=MOP-02 or contact secretariat@biodiv.org for further information.

Second meeting of the Parties to the Aarhus Convention

The second meeting of the Parties to the Aarhus Convention (i.e. the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) Convention on Access to Information, Public Participation in Decision-making and Access to Justice in Environmental Matters) takes place on 25-27 May 2005 in Almaty, Kazakhstan. One of the substantive issues on item 5 of the provisional agenda is genetically modified organisms, where "The Meeting of the Parties will be invited to adopt a decision aimed at further developing the application of the Convention with respect to GMOs". The UNECE is one of five regional commissions of the UN and has 55 Member countries from North America, Western, Central and Eastern Europe and Central Asia. See http://www.unece.org/env/pp/mop2.htm or contact public.participation@unece.org for more information.

OECD Biotechnology Update nr. 14

Issue number 14 (February 2005) of OECD Biotechnology Update has just been published. It aims to provide up-to-date information on the diverse activities at the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) related to biotechnology. It contains 21 pages with items on news, recent and future events, recent and future publications (many are available free of charge) and provides web and e-mail contacts for the different areas of activity. See http://www.oecd.org/dataoecd/54/45/34512603.pdf (202 KB) or contact icgb@oecd.org for more information.

Overview of OECD consensus documents

The main focus of the OECD’s Working Group on Harmonisation of Regulatory Oversight in Biotechnology is environmental risk/ safety assessment of transgenic crops. The publication of consensus documents, which typically compile information on the biology of specific crop plant species which is for use in environmental risk/ safety assessment, is a major output of its work. A recent publication entitled "An introduction to the Biosafety Consensus Documents of OECD’s Working Group for Harmonisation in Biotechnology", describes the purpose of these documents as well as the process by which they are drafted, reviewed and brought to publication. See http://appli1.oecd.org/olis/2005doc.nsf/linkto/env-jm-mono(2005)5 or contact ehscont@oecd.org for more information. The OECD’s Task Force for the Safety of Novel Foods and Feeds also publishes consensus documents, complementing those of the Working Group as they deal with issues related to human foods and animal feeds, rather than environmental safety issues.

Proceedings of the 8th Asian Regional Maize Workshop

On 5-8 August 2002, the 8th Asian Regional Maize Workshop was held in Bangkok, Thailand, co-sponsored by the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT), the Department of Agriculture of Thailand, and Kasetsart University, Thailand. Proceedings of the workshop, whose theme was “New technologies and technology delivery systems for the new millennium” are now available, edited by G. Srinivasan, P.H. Zaidi, B.M. Prasanna, F. Gonzalez, and K. Lesnick. Papers in the proceedings deal with molecular tools for maize improvement, genetics and breeding, crop management, biotic and abiotic stresses affecting maize, technology adoption and dissemination, and country reports. See http://www.cimmyt.org/english/docs/proceedings/armw/contents.htm or contact lvillasenor@cgiar.org for more information.

Generation Challenge Programme e-mail newsletter

As part of a new initiative, the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) approved for implementation in 2003 three pilot Challenge Programmes (defined as a "time-bound, independently-governed program of high impact research, that targets the CGIAR goals in relation to complex issues of overwhelming global and/or regional significance, and requires partnerships between a wide range of institutions in order to deliver its products") called 1) Water and Food 2) HarvestPlus and 3) Generation. The Generation Challenge Programme (GCP), whose aim is to "harness the rich global heritage of plant genetic resources and create a new generation of crops that meet the needs of resource-poor people", has 5 sub-programmes: Genetic diversity of global genetic resources; comparative genomics for gene discovery; trait capture for crop improvement; genetic resources, genomic, and crop information systems and, finally, capacity building. The GCP publishes an e-mail newsletter providing updates from the programme, including capacity building opportunities (e.g. a diversity/breeding course for national agricultural research systems (NARS) scientists in Pretoria, South Africa, 22 May to 3 June 2005). See the latest newsletter at http://www.generationcp.org/enewsletter.php?i=174 or contact j.nelson@cgiar.org to be added to the mailing list.

February

FAO Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries

The 26th Session of FAO's Committee on Fisheries takes place on 7-11 March 2005 in Rome, Italy. One of the working documents prepared for this biennial meeting is "Progress in the implementation of the Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries and related international plans of action". The document summarises activities undertaken by FAO to facilitate the implementation of the 1995 FAO Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries, the four international plans of action and the Strategy that have been concluded within its framework and it also reports on progress made by FAO Members, regional fishery bodies and non-governmental organisations in implementing and promoting the implementation of the Code. The Code is a voluntary set of principles and standards applicable to the conservation, management and development of fisheries, which also refers specifically to genetically modified fish (Article 9.3.1). See document COFI/2005/2 (in Arabic, Chinese, English, French and Spanish) at ftp://ftp.fao.org/FI/DOCUMENT/COFI/COFI_26/default.htm or contact FI-Inquiries@fao.org for more information.

E-mail conference on public participation and GMOs - Messages available

The FAO e-mail conference entitled "Public participation in decision-making regarding GMOs in developing countries: How to effectively involve rural people" began on 17 January and finished on 13 February 2005. Over 500 people subscribed to this moderated conference and 116 messages were posted, from 70 people living in 35 different countries. Half of the messages posted were from people in developing countries. The wide range of issues raised included e.g. the need for relevant and reliable information; whether and why the public (rural or not) should be involved in decision-making regarding GMOs and, assuming they should, how they could be effectively involved (including topics such as appropriate media and communication strategies, local languages, who should pay, indigenous peoples, international agreements/guidelines etc.). The messages are available at http://www.fao.org/biotech/logs/c12logs.htm or can be requested as a single e-mail (size 200 KB) from biotech-admin@fao.org.

Update on the AGORA initiative

Access to Global Online Research in Agriculture (AGORA), an initiative to provide free or low-cost access to major scientific journals in agriculture and related biological, environmental and social sciences to public institutions in developing countries, was launched in October 2003. Currently, 69 countries (generally with an annual gross national income per capita of US$1,000 or less) are eligible to participate and access to 708 journals is provided. To date, 405 institutions in 55 countries have registered while 14 new publishers have recently joined the initiative. FAO and its partners are seeking to increase participation from users and publishers even further, and are reaching out to those countries that, as yet, have no subscribers. The journals cover subjects such as animal science, fisheries/aquatic science, forestry and plant science/soil science and include 23 journals in the biotechnology/applied microbiology category. See http://www.aginternetwork.org/en/index.php (in Arabic, English, French or Spanish) or contact agora@fao.org for further details.

Cartagena Protocol - First meeting of expert group on identification requirements of LMOs-FFP

At the 1st meeting of the Conference of the Parties serving as the Meeting of the Parties to the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety (COP-MOP 1), a decision was made to establish an Open-ended Technical Expert Group on Identification Requirements of Living Modified Organisms intended for direct use as Food or Feed, or for Processing (LMOs-FFP). The 1st meeting of the expert group takes place on 16-18 March 2005 in Montreal, Canada. Documents for the meeting (in Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish) are available at http://www.biodiv.org/doc/meeting.asp?mtg=BSTEGIR-01 or contact secretariat@biodiv.org for more information.

Cartagena Protocol - Reports of recent capacity-building meetings

Reports are now available from three meetings held recently regarding capacity-building for the effective implementation of the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety. They are from the 1st Coordination Meeting of Institutions offering Biosafety-Related Training and Education Programs, held on 4-6 October 2004 in Geneva, Switzerland; the 1st Coordination Meeting for Governments and Organizations Implementing or Funding Biosafety Capacity-Building Activities, held on 26-27 January 2005 in Montreal, Canada; and the meeting of the Liaison Group on Capacity-Building for Biosafety, held on 27-28 January 2005 in Montreal, Canada. See http://www.biodiv.org/biosafety/news.aspx or contact secretariat@biodiv.org for more information.

ECOSOC adopts science and technology resolution

Resuming its 2004 substantive session on 5 November 2004, the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) adopted resolution 2004/68 on "Promoting the application of science and technology to meet the development goals contained in the United Nations Millennium Declaration". ECOSOC coordinates the work of the 14 UN specialized agencies, 10 functional commissions and five regional commissions; receives reports from 11 UN funds and programmes; and issues policy recommendations to the UN system and to Member States. See the resolution (in Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish) by searching on "e/2004/inf/2/add.3" at http://www.un.org/Depts/dhl/index.html or contact stdev@unctad.org for more information.

NEPAD-IFPRI African Policy Dialogues on Biotechnology

As part of the NEPAD-IFPRI African Policy Dialogues on Biotechnology, launched by the Science and Technology Forum of the New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD) and the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), two multiple stakeholder sessions have been held so far, on 25-26 April 2003 in Johannesburg, South Africa and on 20-21 September 2004 in Harare, Zimbabwe. The report and "Statement of Commitments" from the 2nd session are now available on the web. See http://www.ifpri.org/africadialogue/papers.asp or contact w.omamo@cgiar.org to request a copy of either document. A 3rd session is planned for 2005.

Workshop on alleviating micronutrient malnutrition in Bangladesh - Biofortification

A workshop on "Alleviating micronutrient malnutrition through agriculture in Bangladesh: Biofortification and diversification as long-term, sustainable solutions" was held on 22-24 April 2002 in Gazipur and Dhaka, Bangladesh, organised by the International Food Policy Research Institute, the University of Dhaka and the Bangladesh Rice Research Institute, Gazipur. The workshop, which aimed to improve the dialogue between agriculturists and nutritionists, involved a technical working session and a discussion working session on 22-23 April in Gazipur, followed by a closing session in Dhaka on 24 April. Proceedings of the workshop, edited by N. Roos, H.E. Bouis, N. Hassan and K.A. Kabir, are now available on the web. See http://www.ifpri.org/pubs/cp/alleviatingmal.htm or contact IFPRI-info@cgiar.org for more information.

Workshop on developing resilient crops for drought-prone areas

On 27-30 May 2002, an international workshop on "Progress toward developing resilient crops for drought-prone areas" was held at the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) headquarters, Philippines, co-sponsored by IRRI and the Rockefeller Foundation. Extended abstracts of papers presented as well as poster abstracts from the workshop are available on the web. Themes covered in the nine sessions of the workshop include detection and use of molecular markers; genetic dissection of traits related to drought tolerance; breeding and distribution of drought-tolerant maize varieties; application of genomics and proteomics to drought research; and screening protocols for effective selection of drought-tolerant rice. See http://www.irri.org/publications/limited/limited.asp?id=19 or contact irri@cgiar.org for more information.

Monitoring environmental effects of GM crops - Expert consultation

On 18-20 January 2005 an expert consultation entitled "Genetically modified organisms in crop production and their effects on the environment: Methodologies for monitoring and the way ahead" was held at FAO headquarters, Rome. It was organised by FAO's Plant Production and Protection Division with support from the FAO Working Groups on Biodiversity and Biotechnology. See an FAO press release (in Arabic, English, French and Spanish) at http://www.fao.org/newsroom/en/news/2005/89259/index.html or contact FAO for more information. A report of the meeting will be published later.

REDBIO national case studies

REDBIO has been carrying out a series of case studies on the management of appropriate agricultural biotechnology for small producers in individual countries. The studies for Argentina (by A. Diamante and J. Izquierdo, in Spanish), Bolivia (by T. Avila and J. Izquierdo, in English), Ecuador (by J. Wendt and J. Izquierdo, in English) and Peru (by S. Pastor, in Spanish) are now available on the web. It is also expected that the studies for Chile, Colombia, Paraguay, Uruguay and Venezuela will be published during 2005. REDBIO is the Technical Co-operation Network on Plant Biotechnology in Latin America and the Caribbean, based at the FAO Regional Office for Latin America and the Caribbean in Santiago, Chile. See http://www.redbio.org/estud_casos.htm or contact juan.izquierdo@fao.org for more information.

Assessments of food additives produced from GM microorganisms

The Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA) is an international expert scientific committee that has been meeting since 1956, initially to evaluate the safety of food additives and later to also include the evaluation of contaminants, naturally occurring toxicants and residues of veterinary drugs in food. To date, JECFA has evaluated more than 1300 food additives, approximately 25 contaminants and naturally occurring toxicants, and residues of approximately 80 veterinary drugs. A number of Chemical and Technical Assessments, documents which provide basic information on the identity, purity and use of a food additive, as it is related to its risk assessment, have now been made available on the web. Some of them concern food additives from genetically modified microorganisms. See http://www.fao.org/ag/AGN/jecfa/chemical_assessment_en.stm or contact jecfa@fao.org for more information.

Codex Committee on Methods of Analysis and Sampling - 26th Session

The 26th Session of the Codex Committee on Methods of Analysis and Sampling takes place 4-8 April 2005 in Budapest, Hungary. One of the items on the agenda is "Criteria for the methods for the detection and identification of foods derived from biotechnology". See http://www.fao.org/ag/agn/food/risk_biotech_detection_en.stm or contact codex@fao.org for further information.

Animal Genetic Resources Information bulletin 34

The latest number of the Animal Genetic Resources Information (AGRI) bulletin is now available on the web including, for example, an article on the use of microsatellite DNA markers for studying the genetic relationship between sheep breeds in Nigeria. AGRI includes articles on all aspects of the characterisation, conservation and utilisation of animal genetic resources of interest to food and agriculture production. It publishes articles in English, French or Spanish and is edited in the Animal Genetic Resources group of FAO's Animal Production and Health Division. See http://www.fao.org/docrep/007/y5303t/y5303t02.htm or contact agri-bulletin@fao.org for more information.

UNEP-GEF project on BCH

The UNEP-GEF Project on Building Capacity for Effective Participation in the Biosafety Clearing House (BCH) of the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety was initiated in March 2004. A consultation of regional scientists and technical experts was organised on 13-14 December 2004 in Geneva, Switzerland, to seek advice on the project. The report of the consultation, as well as the 3rd quarterly report (October-December 2004) on the project, are now available. See http://www.unep.ch/biosafety/BCH.htm or contact jyoti@unep.ch for more information.

UN Millennium Project task force reports

The UN Millennium Project, an independent advisory body commissioned by the UN Secretary-General to advise the UN on strategies for achieving the Millennium Development Goals, presented its report, "Investing in development: A practical plan to achieve the Millennium Development Goals", to the Secretary-General on 17 January 2005. The Project’s work includes 13 separate, extensive reports by specialised task forces, one of which is dedicated to "Science, Technology and Innovation". Chapter 4 of this 194-page task force report, entitled "Innovation: Applying knowledge in development" and with C. Juma and L. Yee-Cheong as lead authors, is dedicated to platform technologies with wide applicability, including biotechnology. See http://www.unmillenniumproject.org/reports/reports2.htm or contact info@unmillenniumproject.org for more information.

Fish biodiversity, management and utilisation

On 2-4 July 2002 a workshop entitled "Biodiversity, management and utilization of West African fishes" was held in Accra, Ghana, to present results from collaborative research carried out on the biodiversity of tilapias by the WorldFish Center (one of the 15 research centres supported by the CGIAR), the CSIR-Water Research Institute (in Ghana) and the University of Hamburg’s Zoologisches Institut und Museum, supported by the German Agency for Technical Cooperation (GTZ). The proceedings of the workshop, edited by E. K. Abban, C.M.V. Casal, P. Dugan and T.M. Falk, have now been published by the WorldFish Center, including topics such as the use of genetic tools for the study of fish biodiversity. See the proceedings or contact worldfishcenter@cgiar.org for more information.

January

Capacity building in biosafety of GM crops in Asia - Benchmark document

The website of the FAO project on Capacity Building in Biosafety of GM Crops in Asia has been updated and now contains a number of new documents, including the "Benchmark document on the needs and present status of the capacity building in biosafety of GM crops in Asia" by A. Varma, where the "present status and needs of the capacity building for biosafety of GM crops in Asia are presented in the light of strengths, weaknesses and gaps in participating countries and the region as a whole". This FAO project is funded by the government of Japan and is based at the FAO Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific in Bangkok, Thailand. See http://asiabionet.org/documents/Documents.htm or contact nobuyuki.kabaki@fao.org for more information.

CGRFA - Report of the 10th Regular Session

The 10th Regular Session of the FAO Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture took place on 8-12 November 2004 at FAO Headquarters, Rome, Italy. One of the items on the agenda was the "Progress report on the Draft Code of Conduct on Biotechnology as it Relates to Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture". The report of the meeting is now available (in English, with Arabic, Chinese, French and Spanish versions to follow). The Commission is an international policy body with a membership of 167 countries and the European Community that holds Regular Sessions every two years. See http://www.fao.org/ag/cgrfa/docs10.htm or contact cgrfa@fao.org for more information.

Genetic improvement of cacao - New book

In 2001, the Portuguese-language book "Melhoramento Genético do Cacaueiro", edited by L.A.S. Dias, was published. With the support of FAO's Crop and Grassland Service, it has now been translated into English, entitled "Genetic Improvement of Cacao", and made available on the web. According to the abstract, it is the first publication which deals exclusively with cacao genetic improvement. The 13 chapters, written by renowned Brazilian specialists, cover topics such as clonal improvement (Chapter 9), molecular markers in breeding (Chapter 10) and new approaches in breeding (Chapter 13). See Ecoport or contact lasdias@ufv.br or peter.griffee@fao.org for more information.

Legal regime for the control of invasive alien species in Ghana

As part of its FAO Legal Papers Online series, the FAO Legal Office has recently published "The legal regime for the control of invasive alien species (IAS) in Ghana: Some lessons in the implementation of treaty norms" by G.A. Sarpong. The 26-page article examines the constitutional, institutional and legislative frameworks for the implementation of the international norms for the control of IAS, including living modified organisms, in Ghana. See http://www.fao.org/Legal/prs-ol/lpo40.pdf or contact devlaw@fao.org to request a copy.

Training manual on molecular marker techniques for plants

An 87-page training manual, entitled "Mutant germplasm characterization using molecular markers: A manual", is now available on the web. This manual on selected molecular marker techniques was prepared by the Plant Breeding and Genetic Section of the joint FAO/IAEA Division of Nuclear Techniques in Food and Agriculture using the handouts and other materials distributed to participants of the 1st FAO/IAEA Interregional Training Course on "Mutant germplasm characterisation using molecular markers" held in Seibersdorf, Austria on 1-25 October 2001. The following techniques are covered: genomic DNA isolation, restriction analysis of genomic and plasmid DNA, gel electrophoresis, Southern transfer of genomic DNA, non-radioactive DNA hybridization, silver staining, RFLP, AFLP, SSR, ISSR and RAPD analysis, and retrotransposon-based marker systems. Each chapter starts with a short description of the method followed by a detailed stepwise protocol. See http://www.iaea.org/programmes/nafa/d2/public/d2_pbl_1_6.html or contact S.Nielen@iaea.org to request a free copy.

Reference book on banana and plantain

A joint publication of FAO/IAEA and the International Network for the Improvement of Banana and Plantain (INIBAP), entitled "Banana improvement: Cellular, molecular biology, and induced mutations" and edited by S.M. Jain and R. Swennen, has just been made available on the web. In 1994, the Plant Breeding and Genetic Section of the joint FAO/IAEA Division of Nuclear Techniques in Food and Agriculture started a Coordinated Research Project (CRP) entitled "Cellular biology and biotechnology including mutation techniques for creation of new useful banana genotypes". This reference book disseminates the results obtained during this CRP, together with several review papers, with the aim of "providing state of the art information on a number of biotechnological tools for adoption by breeders and molecular biologists to obtain Musa varieties with desirable characters in a more rapid and efficient way". The 30 chapters are organised in 5 major sections: a) cell and tissue culture, and mutation induction b) pests and diseases c) molecular cytogenetics d) genomics and e) genetic transformation and others. See http://www.fao.org/docrep/007/ae216e/ae216e00.htm or contact S.M.Jain@iaea.org for more information.

FAO/IAEA Animal Production and Health Newsletter 41

The December 2004 newsletter (nr. 41) from the Animal Production and Health Section of the Joint FAO/IAEA Division of Nuclear Techniques in Food and Agriculture and the FAO/IAEA Agriculture and Biotechnology Laboratory is now available. The 20-page newsletter, issued twice a year, gives an overview of past and upcoming projects, publications and events. See http://www.iaea.org/programmes/nafa/d3/public/aph-nl-41.pdf (662 KB) or contact R.Schellander@iaea.org for more information.

UNEP-GEF Biosafety updates

The UNEP-GEF Biosafety Projects website has been updated, now including the initial status report, national progress report and the final draft national biosafety framework for a total of 25 countries as well as a handbook for countries participating in the UNEP-GEF Project on Building Capacity for Effective Participation in the Biosafety Clearing House (BCH) of the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety. See http://www.unep.ch/biosafety/news.htm or contact biosafety@unep.ch for more information.

SBSTTA-10 meeting - GURTs

The 10th meeting of the Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical and Technological Advice (SBSTTA-10) takes place on 7-11 February 2005 in Bangkok, Thailand. Among the 23 official documents provided is "Advice on the report of the ad hoc technical expert group on the genetic use restriction technologies". See document UNEP/CBD/SBSTTA/10/15 (available in Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish) at http://www.biodiv.org/doc/meeting.aspx?mtg=sbstta-10 or contact secretariat@biodiv.org for more information. The SBSTTA is an open-ended inter-governmental scientific advisory body of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity.

New CGIAR website

The Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) has just launched its new, redesigned website. It provides easy access to information about CGIAR meetings, news stories, publications and research (including use of agricultural biotechnologies) etc. The CGIAR is an informal association of 63 members that supports agricultural research and related activities of an international public goods nature carried out by 15 autonomous research centres. The CGIAR partnership includes 24 developing and 22 industrialised countries, 4 private foundations and 13 regional and international organisations that provide financing, technical support and strategic direction. FAO, the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the World Bank serve as cosponsors of the CGIAR. See http://www.cgiar.org and contact cgiar@cgiar.org with any feedback on the new website.

2004

December

FAO e-mail conference on public participation and GMOs

The background document for the FAO e-mail conference entitled "Public participation in decision-making regarding GMOs in developing countries: How to effectively involve rural people" is now available. The 12-page document gives a brief overview of the current status regarding GMOs in crops, forests, fisheries, livestock and agro-industry; discusses the decision-making areas where the public could be involved; provides a brief overview of some relevant international agreements and discusses some of the specificities regarding information access and participation for people in rural areas in developing countries. See http://www.fao.org/biotech/C12doc.htm or contact biotech-admin@fao.org to request a copy of the document by e-mail. The e-mail conference runs from 17 January to 13 February 2005 and is hosted by the FAO Biotechnology Forum. To join the Forum (and also register for the conference), send an e-mail to mailserv@mailserv.fao.org leaving the subject blank and entering only the following text on two separate lines:

subscribe BIOTECH-L

subscribe biotech-room4

Forum members wishing to register for the conference should leave out the first line of the above message.

FAO project on Capacity Building in Biosafety of GM Crops in Asia - 2004 activities

In 2004, the FAO project on Capacity Building in Biosafety of GM Crops in Asia organised a meeting of project focal points (on 11-12 March in Thailand), a regional training workshop on public awareness and participation (on 21-25 May in the Philippines) and 9 national training workshops (from May to October, in the Philippines, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Bangladesh, China, Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia and Viet Nam respectively). Topics of the national workshops depended on the priority need of the country in terms of its biosafety activities and all of the topics taken up were geared towards the development or strengthening of each country’s national biosafety framework. Summaries of the workshops are now available on the web. This FAO project is funded by the government of Japan and is based at the FAO Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific in Bangkok, Thailand. See http://asiabionet.org or contact FAO for more information.

Investments and costs for segregating GM crops

Responding to a request for technical assistance from the Government of Argentina, FAO carried out a study to quantify the investments and costs involved in segregating the chains of production, transportation and embarking for GM and non-GM soya bean and maize in conformity with Article 18.2.a) of the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety. The project, which ended in August 2004, gathered a team of 19 national and international specialists in various fields and involved a detailed analysis of the production and supply chain of soya bean and maize in the country, including infrastructure and capacity, the needs for modernisation and the investments involved, as well as an evaluation of the segregation costs. The full report plus a summary of the study are now available (in Spanish). See http://www.fao.org/ag/AGP/AGPS/new.htm or contact FAO for more information.

First world conference on organic seed - report and proceedings

On 5-7 July 2004, the "First world conference on organic seed: Challenges and opportunities for organic and the seed industry" was held at FAO Headquarters, Rome, Italy, organised by FAO, the International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements and the International Seed Federation. There were eight plenary sessions including aspects ranging from seed production, propagation and quality, through harmonisation of standards and technical regulations, to economics and biodiversity aspects, and the co-existence between organic agriculture and GMOs was also addressed. The 19-page conference report and 188-page conference proceedings are now available. See http://www.fao.org/organicag/faodoc-e.htm or contact FAO for more information.

Protein sources for the animal feed industry - Proceedings

On 29 April 29 to 3 May 2002, an expert consultation and meeting on "Protein sources for the animal feed industry" was held in Bangkok, Thailand, organised by FAO with the support of the International Feed Industry Federation. The proceedings are now available on the web, providing an executive summary as well as the papers presented at the meeting. Among the many topics included in the papers, genetic modification of crops and production of amino acids for animal feed using biotechnology are also addressed. See ftp://ftp.fao.org/docrep/fao/007/y5019e/y5019e00.pdf or contact FAO for more information.

Assessing the quality and safety of animal feeds - New book

FAO has just published "Assessing quality and safety of animal feeds" as part of its Animal Production and Health series. The book brings together six reviews from the FAO electronic journal AGRIPPA, entitled "Modern techniques for feed analysis" (by I. Mueller-Harvey, includes e.g. ELISA procedures for mycotoxin and other feed contaminants), "Variability in feed composition and its impact on animal production" (G. Gizzi and D.I. Givens), "Recent advances in the in vitro gas method for evaluation of nutritional quality of feed resources" (H.P.S. Makkar), "Microbiology of animal feeds" (J.P.F. D’Mello, includes e.g. silage fermentation), "Contaminants and toxins in animal feeds" (J.P.F. D’Mello) and "Antibiotic growth-promoters in food animals" (P. Hughes and J. Heritage, includes an overview of alternatives to antibiotic growth promoters, such as production of in-feed enzymes by fermentation). See ftp://ftp.fao.org/docrep/fao/007/y5159e/y5159e00.pdf or contact FAO for more information.

International trade of GMOs - UNCTAD article

The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), a UN department that promotes the development-friendly integration of developing countries into the world economy, has just published "International trade in GMOs: Legal frameworks and developing country concerns" by S. Zarrilli. The 19-page article is an abridged version of a study by the same author to be published in early 2005 as part of the UNCTAD study series: Policy Issues in International Trade and Commodities. See http://www.unctad.org/en/docs//ditctncd20041_en.pdf or contact Simonetta.Zarrilli@unctad.org for more information.

Capacity-building in biotechnology - UNCTAD/UNCSTD report

A report prepared for the United Nations Commission on Science and Technology for Development (UNCSTD) entitled "The biotechnology promise: Capacity-building for participation of developing countries in the bioeconomy", has just been published. UNCSTD selected “national capacity-building in biotechnology" as the substantive theme for the period 1999-2001 and this 129-page report draws on materials from panel sessions, country case studies and expert background papers addressed by the UNCSTD in the course of its work on the theme. The seven chapters focus on the promise of biotechnology; building capacity for national biotechnology development; emerging biotechnology industry; international market opportunities; legal and regulatory policies; public awareness and participation and, finally, possible development models. See http://stdev.unctad.org/docs/biotech.pdf or contact stdev@unctad.org for more information.

Two Cartagena Protocol meeting reports - Liability/redress and Article 18 (paragraph 2)

On 18-20 October 2004, the Technical Group of Experts on Liability and Redress in the Context of the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety met in Montreal, Canada. On 1-3 November 2004, a workshop on capacity-building and exchange of experiences as related to the implementation of paragraph 2 of Article 18 of the Protocol was held in Bonn, Germany. Reports of these two meetings are now available. See http://www.biodiv.org/biosafety/news.aspx or contact secretariat@biodiv.org for more information.

Aarhus Convention - Working Group on GMOs meeting report

The 4th meeting of the Working Group on GMOs established under the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) Convention on Access to Information, Public Participation in Decision-making and Access to Justice in Environmental Matters (i.e. the Aarhus Convention) took place on 18-20 October 2004 in Geneva, Switzerland. The report of the meeting is now available. See http://www.unece.org/env/pp/gmo.htm or contact public.participation@unece.org for more information.

Training module on the SPS Agreement

The World Trade Organization (WTO) has developed a web-based training module that is aimed at anyone who needs a basic understanding of the WTO Agreement on the Application of Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures (the "SPS Agreement"). It includes interactive tests which allow the user to measure progress made in learning the content and, in addition to the course material itself, links are provided to reference documents, such as legal texts and other official WTO documents. Chapter 8 is dedicated to two "special issues", one of which is GMOs. The training module is available in English, French and Spanish. See http://www.wto.org/english/res_e/d_learn_e/d_learn_e.htm or contact enquiries@wto.org for more information.

Regional dialogue on IPRs, innovation and sustainable development

On 8-10 November 2004, a "Regional dialogue on intellectual property rights (IPRs), innovation and sustainable development” was held in Hong Kong, S.A.R., China, organised by the International Centre for Trade and Sustainable Development, the University of Hong Kong, the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development and the International Development Research Centre. One of the five main issues discussed during the dialogue was biotechnology and the protection of plant varieties. The draft meeting report and meeting documents, including "Fitting plant variety protection and biotechnological inventions in agriculture within the intellectual property framework: Challenges for developing countries" by S.K. Verma, are now available. See http://www.iprsonline.org/unctadictsd/dialogue/2004-11-08/2004-11-08_docs.htm or contact ictsd@ictsd.ch for more information.

OECD - Consensus document on new varieties of barley

The OECD Environmental Health and Safety Division has just published the "Consensus document on compositional considerations for new varieties of barley (Hordeum vulgare L.): Key food and feed nutrients and anti-nutrients". It is number 12 in its Series on the Safety of Novel Foods and Feeds. See http://appli1.oecd.org/olis/2004doc.nsf/linkto/env-jm-mono(2004)20 or contact ehscont@oecd.org for more information.

November

FAO Biotechnology Glossary - Spanish translation

The FAO "Glossary of biotechnology for food and agriculture", published in 2001 as FAO Research and Technology Paper 9, has now been translated into Spanish, entitled "Glosario de biotecnología para la agricultura y la alimentación". Apart from a translation of the over 3,000 terms and definitions contained in the original English glossary, the 510-page publication also contains an additional English-Spanish vocabulary of biotechnology-related terms. The Spanish translation was carried out by the Cátedra Alfonso Martín Escudero in the Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, and coordinated by its Director, Ignacio Trueba. The translators were M.J. Fraga Fernández Cuevas, P. Rodríguez Palenzuela, E. Cabrera Ordóñez and A. Alfonso Gallegos. The publication is available, both in PDF and as a searchable database, at http://www.fao.org/biotech/index_glossary.asp?lang=es. The French translation of the glossary was also published by FAO in October 2004. Contact FAO to request a copy of either the Spanish or French glossary.

Draft Code of Conduct on Biotechnology

The 10th Regular Session of the Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture took place on 8-12 November 2004 at FAO Headquarters, Rome. One of the Working Documents prepared for the meeting was entitled "Progress on the Draft Code of Conduct on Biotechnology as it relates to genetic resources for food and agriculture: policy issues, gaps and duplications". See Document CGRFA-10/04/13, available in Arabic, Chinese, English, French and Spanish, at http://www.fao.org/ag/cgrfa/docs10.htm or contact cgrfa@fao.org for more information.

FAO/UNESCO workshop on biotechnology and biosafety in the Caucasus region and Moldova

On 3-6 November 2003, a workshop on "Agricultural biotechnology and biosafety for food security and rural development in the Caucasus region and Moldova” was held in Yerevan, Armenia, organised jointly by FAO and the UNESCO Chair, Life Sciences International Educational Center, Yerevan. Proceedings of the workshop are now available, including summaries of country presentations; keynote papers on livestock and crop biotechnology and intellectual property rights and biosafety; and an overview of FAO's initiatives in agricultural biotechnology and biosafety. The proceedings also include a report entitled "Status of agricultural biotechnology and biosafety in selected countries of the Balkans, the Caucasus and Moldova" that was commissioned by FAO's Research and Technology Development Service and the FAO Regional Office for Europe. See http://www.fao.org/sd/dim_kn4/kn4_041001_en.htm (in English, overview in Arabic, French and Spanish) or contact REUS-Research@fao.org to request a copy.

Small-scale food processing booklet

FAO's Agricultural Support Systems Division has just published "Processed foods for improved livelihoods", by P. Fellows, as Number 5 in its FAO Diversification Booklets series. The 65-page publication describes some of the opportunities and constraints faced by communities in developing countries that wish to introduce or improve food processing. It focuses on secondary processing, in which fresh foods or the products of primary processing are made into a wide range of processed foods (e.g. products such as bread, wine/beer, fermented pickles, yoghurt etc., obtained by adequate use of beneficial microorganisms). FAO Diversification Booklets aim to raise awareness and provide information about opportunities at the farm and local community level to increase small-scale farmer income. Their main target audience is people and organizations that provide advisory, business and technical support services to small-scale farmers and local communities in low- and middle-income countries. See ftp://ftp.fao.org/docrep/fao/006/y5113e/y5113e00.pdf or contact FAO to request a copy.

Conservation strategies for animal genetic resources

A paper entitled "Conservation strategies for animal genetic resources", by D.R. Notter, has just been published as Number 22 in the Background Study Paper series of the Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture. The paper contrasts opportunities, challenges, biological characteristics, institutional infrastructure and operational considerations influencing management of plant and animal genetic resources. It also summarises main threats to livestock genetic resources and outlines areas of greatest opportunity for better management of these resources. Potential impacts of biotechnology on animal genetic resources are also considered. See ftp://ext-ftp.fao.org/ag/cgrfa/BSP/bsp22e.pdf or contact dad-is@fao.org for more information.

Legislation and animal genetic resources

The FAO Legal Office and Animal Production and Health Division jointly prepared a paper entitled "The legal framework for the management of animal genetic resources" that has just been published as Number 24 in the Background Study Paper series of the Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture. It reports the findings of a study of the international and national legal framework applicable to the conservation and sustainable use of farm animal genetic resources. The paper, based on responses to a questionnaire completed by 55 countries as well as additional research, describes the state of the development of relevant international law, reviews the approaches taken and problems identified in national legislation, as well as national implementation of the relevant international law. One of the international legally binding instruments it discusses is the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety. See ftp://ext-ftp.fao.org/ag/cgrfa/BSP/bsp24e.pdf or contact FAO for more information.

Post-harvest operations compendium

The web-based "Compendium on Post-harvest Operations" describes issues of key importance to post-harvest operations or post-production activities for staple foods and edible crops, providing technical information (e.g. on eventual fermentation processes) about what is done after production of different crops in communities around the world. It has recently been expanded to include an additional 10 chapters. The compendium is part of the Information Network on Post-harvest Operations, designed by FAO with the support and collaboration of the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Technische Zusammenarbeit (GTZ) and the Centre de Coopération Internationale en Recherche Agronomique pour le Développement (CIRAD). See http://www.fao.org/inpho/compend/toc_main.htm or contact inpho@fao.org for more information.

Genebanks and molecular genetics - Expert consultation publication

As Number 11 in its Issues in Genetic Resources series, the International Plant Genetic Resources Institute (IPGRI) has just published "The evolving role of genebanks in the fast-developing field of molecular genetics", edited by M.C. de Vicente. In addition to an introductory chapter by the editor, the publication includes five papers that "will be a valuable reference for those interested in genebanks and their relation with the modern, fast-moving fields of the molecular sciences". Papers in the publication are based on discussions held during an expert consultation meeting in León, Spain in November 2002. FAO, FECYT (Fundación Española para la Ciencia y la Tecnología), INIA (Instituto Nacional de Investigación y Tecnología Agraria y Alimentaria), IPGRI, SGRP (CGIAR System-wide Genetic Resources Programme) and USAID (U.S. Agency for International Development) collaborated with organising the meeting and/or publishing this document. See http://www.ipgri.cgiar.org/publications/pdf/986.pdf or contact ipgri-publications@cgiar.org for more information.

UNEP-GEF biosafety workshops 2003-2004 - Synthesis report

A series of six sub-regional workshops on "Development of a regulatory regime and administrative systems for national biosafety frameworks" was held between October 2003 and May 2004, convened by the UNEP-GEF Biosafety Project Team in collaboration with the Governments of each of the host countries. A 9-page synthesis report has just been published, summarising the deliberations and conclusions of the workshops. Of related interest, the latest UNEP-GEF Biosafety newsletter (September 2004) is now available. See http://www.unep.ch/biosafety/resources.htm or contact biosafety@unep.ch for more information.

Aarhus Convention - 4th meeting of the Working Group on GMOs

The 4th meeting of the Working Group on GMOs established under the Aarhus Convention (i.e. the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) Convention on Access to Information, Public Participation in Decision-making and Access to Justice in Environmental Matters) took place on 18-20 October 2004 in Geneva, Switzerland. The meeting agenda and draft decision prepared for the meeting are available on the web (in English, French and Russian) and the meeting report and the amended draft decision will soon be available. In addition, the report of the 3rd meeting of the Working Group on GMOs, which took place on 24-26 March 2004 in Geneva, Switzerland, is now available in English, French and Russian. See http://www.unece.org/env/pp/gmo.htm or contact public.participation@unece.org for more information.

GM crops in sub-Saharan Africa - World Bank paper

As Number 3411 in its Policy Research Working Paper series, the World Bank has just published "Implications of genetically modified food technology policies for Sub-Saharan Africa" by K. Anderson and L.A. Jackson. See http://econ.worldbank.org/view.php?type=5&id=38750 or contact research@worldbank.org for more information.

UNU-INTECH policy brief on North-South partnerships

The Institute for New Technologies (INTECH) of the United Nations University (UNU) has just published Issue 1, Volume 3 of its Technology Policy Briefs series, entitled "Agricultural biotechnology research partnerships in sub-Saharan Africa: Achievements, challenges and policy issues". In this 12-page document the main findings of a sub-regional study covering Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania are reported, together with relevant policy issues derived from the analysis. See http://www.intech.unu.edu/publications/technology-policy-briefs/tpb_list.htm (in English, abstract in French and Spanish) or contact mwangi@intech.unu.edu for more information.

Workshop on adventitious presence of transgenes in CGIAR ex situ collections

The Genetic Resources Policy Committee and the Science Council of the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) jointly organized a workshop entitled “Technical issues associated with the development of CGIAR policies to address the possibility of adventitious presence of transgenes in CGIAR ex situ collections” on 30 August - 1 September 2004 at the headquarters of the International Plant Genetic Resources Institute (IPGRI), Italy. The general objective of the workshop was to provide technical inputs to initiate a process to develop a system-wide policy (or policies) concerning how to respond to the probability of unintentional introgression of transgenes into the ex situ collections held by the international agricultural research centres of the CGIAR. Based on technical information from the workshop, the Genetic Resources Policy Committee drew up "Draft guidelines for the development of Future Harvest centres' policies to address the possibility of unintentional presence of trangenes in ex situ collections". See the workshop presentations, the workshop report and the draft guidelines at http://www.ipgri.cgiar.org/Policy/GMOWorkshop/ or contact M.Halewood@cgiar.org for more information.

IPGRI publication - Descriptors for genetic markers technologies

The International Plant Genetic Resources Institute (IPGRI) has recently published "Descriptors for genetic markers technologies" by M.C. De Vicente, T. Metz and A. Alercia. This list of descriptors is an effort to define community standards for documenting information about genetic markers and is targeted to researchers using genetic marker technologies to generate and exchange genetic marker data that are standardized and replicable. See http://www.ipgri.cgiar.org/publications/pdf/913.pdf or contact ipgri-publications@cgiar.org for more information.

October

FAO Biotechnology Glossary translated into French

The FAO "Glossary of biotechnology for food and agriculture", published in 2001 as FAO Research and Technology Paper 9, has now been translated into French, entitled "Glossaire de la biotechnologie pour l’alimentation et l’agriculture". Apart from a translation of the over 3,000 terms and definitions contained in the original English glossary, the 427-page publication also contains an additional English-French vocabulary of biotechnology-related terms. The French translation was compiled by M. Atallah, with an extensive revision by M. Tepfer and A. Eggen. The publication is available both in PDF and as a searchable database, at http://www.fao.org/biotech/index_glossary.asp?lang=fr. Alternatively, contact FAO to request a copy of the publication.

CGRFA meeting - FAO report on activities of its related priority areas for inter-disciplinary action

The 10th Regular Session of the Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture takes place on 8-12 November 2004 at FAO Headquarters, Rome. One of the Working Documents prepared for the meeting is a report from FAO providing an overview of the main activities being undertaken in six of FAO's Priority Areas for Inter-Disciplinary Action (PAIAs) that are most relevant to the work of the Commission: i.e. Biological Diversity; Biotechnology; Organic Agriculture; WTO Multi-lateral Trade Negotiations; Biosecurity; and Ethics in Food and Agriculture. The Commission, an inter-governmental body with its Secretariat located at FAO headquarters, holds Regular Sessions every two years. See Document CGRFA-10/04/10.3, available in Arabic, Chinese, English, French and Spanish, at http://www.fao.org/ag/cgrfa/docs10.htm or contact cgrfa@fao.org for more information.

FAO/GCC workshop - Safety of GM food

On 14-15 September 2004, a workshop entitled "Safety assessment of foods derived from modern biotechnology for the States of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC)" was held at FAO Headquarters, Rome, organised by FAO's Food Quality and Standards Service and the Municipal Department, Human and Environment Affairs of the GCC. The 7-page workshop report is now available. See ftp://ftp.fao.org/es/esn/food/meetings/2004/italy_report.pdf or contact food-quality@fao.org for more information.

Unasylva - GM trees

Unasylva is an international journal of forestry and forest industries published by FAO in English, French and Spanish. The latest issue (nr. 217) examines the threats posed by a number of biotic and abiotic agents and some of the measures for overcoming them. It includes a 3-page article entitled "Are genetically modified trees a threat to forests?" by M.H. El-Lakany, Assistant Director-General, Forestry Department, FAO. See Unasylva or contact Unasylva@fao.org for more information.

Second FAO/WHO Global Forum of Food Safety Regulators

FAO and the World Health Organization are jointly convening the 2nd Global Forum of Food Safety Regulators on 12-14 October 2004 in Bangkok, Thailand, on the theme of "Building effective food safety systems". For item 5.3 on the agenda, entitled "Dealing with emerging risks related to the environment and new technologies", a 12-page working document has been prepared which discusses new technologies, such as genetic modification, in food production. See http://www.foodsafetyforum.org/global2 or contact Food-Safety-GF@fao.org for more information.

FAO/IAEA livestock biotechnology symposium - Final report

The final report is now available of the international symposium entitled "Applications of gene-based technologies for improving animal production and health in developing countries", organised by the International Atomic Energy Agency and FAO on 6-10 October 2003 in Vienna, Austria. Together with the book of extended synopses, the programme and PowerPoint presentations, it can be downloaded from http://www.iaea.org/programmes/nafa/d3/mtc/symposium2003.html. Contact h.makkar@iaea.org for more information.

Biotechnology and biosafety - New SDRR website

FAO's Research and Technology Development service (SDRR) is involved in a number of activities regarding biotechnology and biosafety. A recently launched website gives an overview of these activities, which include implementing projects to strengthen national capacities in biosafety and the organisation of workshops and training courses at the national and regional level. See http://www.fao.org/sd/sdrr/bio_en.asp (in English, French and Spanish) or contact sdrr-portal@fao.org for more information.

World Bank papers - GM crops

As part of its Policy Research Working Paper series, the World Bank has recently published 2 studies on genetically modified crops. The first, paper 3380, is entitled "Genetically modified rice adoption: implications for welfare and poverty alleviation" by K. Anderson, L.A. Jackson and C.P. Nielsen. The second, paper 3395, is entitled "Trade, standards, and the political economy of genetically modified food" by K. Anderson, R. Damania and L.A. Jackson. The Policy Research Working Paper Series disseminates findings of work in progress to encourage the exchange of ideas about development issues. See http://econ.worldbank.org/resource.php?type=5 or contact research@worldbank.org for more information.

OECD - Inventory of biotechnology statistics

As part of its STI Working Paper series, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Directorate for Science, Technology and Industry (STI) has just published "Biotechnology statistics in OECD member countries: An inventory" by B. van Beuzekom. The 109-page report describes the current state of biotechnology statistics in OECD member and observer countries. It is an update of the original document, which was released in 2000. See the document or contact dsti.contact@oecd.org for more information.

IPGRI - Publication on international law and plant genetic resources

As part of its Issues in Genetic Resources series, the International Plant Genetic Resources Institute (IPGRI), one of the 15 research centres supported by the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research, has published "International law of relevance to plant genetic resources: a practical review for scientists and other professionals working with plant genetic resources", edited by S. Bragdon. This 124-page publication contains 11 chapters, one on phytosanitary and biosafety measures. See http://www.ipgri.cgiar.org/publications/pdf/937.pdf or contact ipgri-publications@cgiar.org for more information.

IPGRI - Online learning modules about molecular markers in biodiversity studies

Two complementary learning modules, developed jointly by the International Plant Genetic Resources Institute (IPGRI) and the Institute for Genomic Diversity, Cornell University, with the goal of promoting the educated application of molecular techniques in biodiversity studies are now available on the web. They are intended for scientists with a minimal background in genetics and plant molecular biology, but with a working knowledge of plant genetic resources and issues concerning their conservation and management. Volume 1, by M.C. de Vicente and T. Fulton, is entitled "Using molecular marker technology in studies on plant genetic diversity" while Volume 2, by M.C. de Vicente, C. Lopez and T. Fulton, is entitled "Genetic diversity analysis with molecular marker data". See http://www.ipgri.cgiar.org/publications/pubfile+.asp?ID_PUB=912 or contact ipgri-publications@cgiar.org for more information.

African policy dialogues on biotechnology - Harare meeting

On 20-22 September 2004, a conference entitled "African policy dialogues on biotechnology: Building consensus and strategies for common action in Southern Africa" took place in Harare, Zimbabwe, organised by the Food, Agriculture, and Natural Resources Policy Analysis Network (FANRPAN), the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) and the New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD). The programme, opening speech and three background papers are now available on the web. The background papers are entitled "Governing biotechnology in Africa: Toward consensus on key issues in biosafety" by F. Kalibwani, J. Mugwagwa, J. Cohen, J. Komen and T. Sengooba; "Intellectual property protection and biotechnology: Issues and processes for African consensus" by N.K. Olembo, L. Sese, M. Mwasi, and V. Henson-Appollonio and "Policy dialogues on genetically modified crops in Europe: Insights for African policy dialogues on biotechnology" by R. Birner and G. Alcaraz. See http://www.ifpri.org/africadialogue/events/20040920.asp or contact science@nrf.ac.za or ifpri@cgiar.org for more information.

Biosafety and management of animal populations - BCH online conference

The Biosafety Clearing-House (BCH) is hosting an online conference from 18 October to 15 November 2004 entitled "Biosafety considerations in the use of genetically modified organisms for management of animal populations". Potential discussion topics include the use of GM microorganisms, nematodes and insects for biological control; the use of GM viruses to protect mammal populations against disease; and the use of GM insects for reducing disease transmission rates. To subscribe, see http://bch.biodiv.org/onlineconferences/GMOAM.shtml or send an email to bchlistserv@biodiv.org with the subject line blank and the message "Subscribe GMOAM FirstName LastName". Contact bch@biodiv.org for any other information about the conference. The BCH is an information exchange mechanism established by the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety to assist Parties to implement its provisions and to facilitate sharing of information on, and experience with, living modified organisms.

Cartagena Protocol - Liability and redress meeting

The Technical Group of Experts on Liability and Redress in the Context of the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety is meeting on 18-20 October 2004 in Montreal, Canada. Meeting documents are available at http://www.biodiv.org/doc/meeting.aspx?mtg=BSTELR-01 or contact secretariat@biodiv.org for more information.

UNEP-GEF biosafety workshop report - Burkina Faso

A series of six sub-regional workshops on "Development of a regulatory regime and administrative systems for national biosafety frameworks" was held recently under the UNEP-GEF Project on Development of National Biosafety Frameworks. The report of the Francophone Africa workshop, held on 20-23 April 2004 in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, is now available. See the report (in English) or contact biosafety@unep.ch for more information.

OECD Biotechnology Update nr. 13

Issue number 13 (September 2004) of OECD Biotechnology Update has just been published. Its purpose is to provide up-to-date information on the diverse activities at the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) related to biotechnology. It contains 15 pages with items on news, recent and future events, recent and future publications and provides web and e-mail contacts for the different areas of activity. The previous issue was published in March 2003. See http://www.oecd.org/dataoecd/32/22/2077920.pdf (205 KB) or contact icgb@oecd.org for more information.