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From Bio Journal - August 2011


GM canola volunteers spread

The results of the 2011 GM canola (rapeseed) volunteers survey conducted by citizens groups has been published. (See BJ October 2010 for previous survey results.) In this seventh year of the survey, GM canola volunteers have been confirmed in many areas of Japan. Far from being reduced, the volunteers are continuing to spread. In Fukuoka, Yokkaichi, Chiba and other locations, activities to uproot volunteer plants have been repeatedly carried out in an attempt to remove the genetic pollution, but the volunteer plants have been spreading at a pace exceeding these activities. Despite clear evidence that GM canola is already destroying local biodiversity, the state and local administrations are carrying out no effective measures.

Economic losses are also occurring due to the GM canola pollution. It has been reported that in Mie Prefecture isolated seed production of rapeseed has had to be abandoned. In Western Australia, an organic farmer lost his organic certification due to pollution from neighboring GM canola and there have been cases of organic farmers giving up on organic farming due to canola genetic pollution in Canada and the USA.

Results of 2011 "GM Canola Volunteers Survey"
PrefectureNo. of samplesPrimary test
Roundup resistantBasta resistantDouble resistance
Hokkaido

50

Aomori

10

Iwate

18

Akita

1

Ibaraki

53

1

5

Tochigi

20

Gunma

21

Saitama

46

Chiba

62

4

7

Tokyo

38

Kanagawa

19

Niigata

26

Yamanashi

4

Nagano

5

Sizuoka

38

1

1

Aichi

18

Kyoto

37

Osaka

103

Hyogo

81

1

6

Nara

28

Shimane

5

Okayama

13

Hiroshima

6

Yamaguchi

19

2

Tokushima

15

Kagawa

15

Ehime

8

Kochi

10

Fukuoka

69

7

23

5

Nagasaki

5

Kumamoto

57

Oita

25

Miyazaki

5

Kagoshima

16

TOTAL

946

14

44

5

Compiled by the NO! GE Foods Campaign, as of 30 June 2011





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