The New Dark Age

We were sad to hear of the death, at the age of 91, of the primatologist Dame Jane Goodall. She was a pioneer researcher into animal sentience, especially as it related to her beloved chimpanzees, which she observed in their natural habitat. She outraged the scientific and academic community by giving the chimps names and commenting on their personalities. In 1960 she was the first to document their use of tools – at the time, a skill that was frequently claimed to be unique to humans. Jane was also concerned about the effects of GM foods and pesticides on health and the environment. On pesticides, she said, “Someday we shall look back on this dark era of agriculture and shake our heads. How could we have ever believed that it was a good idea to grow our food with poisons?” GMWatch

The UK government’s Genetic Technology (Precision Breeding) Act (GenTech Act) was passed n 2023. The GenTech Regulations for plants will come into force in November 2025. It is expected that the deregulation of new GMO animals will follow, though as of September 2025 the timeline for this is unclear. A new report from GM Freeze outlines multiple problems with the new system and why it creates health, environmental and socio-economic risks. The UK’s deregulatory regime also poses a threat internationally, as it’s an area in which regulatory ‘alignment’ is being sought. This means that other countries are being pressured to accept, and potentially adopt the same, removal of safeguards. GM Freeze

North Carolina State University says Monsanto is to blame for PCB contamination of Poe Hall, a building on its campus, and has filed a multimillion-dollar lawsuit. Poe Hall has been shuttered since 2023 because of high levels of PCBs. More than 200 residents and workers have reportedly developed cancer. Axios

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