GM & Biosafety | African Centre For Biodiversity
Within networks of partner organisations we work towards the building of public awareness and capacity to respond to, and resist, the uptake and/or further expansion of first and now second GM technologies, such as gene drives or genome editing, in Africa.
Formed in response to the South African government’s approval of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) in agriculture in 1998, the ACB’s original mission was to strengthen biosafety laws and policies. Over the years, our work has expanded into providing legal, scientific and policy support in continental and global networks.
30 May 2025
In this web post, we trace the push to introduce genetically modified (GM) wheat into South Africa and Africa, beginning with Monsanto’s 2004 application to import Roundup Ready wheat into SA, through to the current ongoing opposition led by the ACB. After Monsanto’s initial application was rejected, there was a long period before further applications […]
16 January 2025
In December, the ACB, alongside a coalition of organisations, academics, and unions, submitted a letter of demand to the Minister of Agriculture, Mr John Steenhuisen. This urgent appeal calls for the immediate ban of Terbufos — a highly hazardous pesticide implicated in the tragic deaths of six children in Naledi, Soweto, last year. To amplify […]
6 December 2024
Minister Steenhuisen, when can we expect the Registrar to respond? Today marks a year since we called for a review of the registration of 2,4-D in South Africa, in a letter to the Registrar: Act No. 36 of 1947, Mr Jonathan Mudzunga. With no substantive response forthcoming, despite substantiation in a further submission, and persistent […]
