The GM Tracker

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NOTE: We have put this section to sleep. The tracker was last updated in March 2007. If anyone is interested to continue the service , please contact GRAIN.
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Tracking GM developments in Asia and the Pacific

The idea behind this monitoring tool draws on requests primarily from groups in Asia who are campaigning against genetic engineering. The interest was further galvanised in a regional strategy meeting about GM contamination in Bangkok, Thailand in 2005 . Some people in the group thought that it might be easier to keep an eye on contamination by collectively monitoring GM development in each country and keeping a common log of 'who is doing what where?' in the Asia-Pacific region.

Since the launch of this tracker in April 2006, we have received various interests and queries suggesting to expand its coverage (to include livestock, fisheries and forestry) and geographic scope (to include Europe, Africa and the Americas). While we recognise such need, we simply do not have the time and manpower to do it. For the moment, we will keep this tracker focused on GM crops in the Asia-Pacific rim. If you have something to add or edit in this tracker, please send us a note so we can make the changes.

Many of the transgenic crops listed here are being researched, developed and field tested in the 'public sector' although often with funding from private seed/agrochemical companies and foundations through public-private consortia. The list of crops is not exhaustive. We focused on major food and export crops whose production and trade – given the threats of contamination – pose serious implications to farmers as well as consumers. More detailed information on GM crops listed here, and more comprehensive databases, can be found from FAO-BioDeC , OTGR-Australia, Nature Biotechnology, IRRI, ISAAA, Cornell University-ABSP II, Monsanto, Syngenta, Genetic ID, checkbiotech.org, GM Watch, SeedQuest, Searca-BIC.

This tracker, updated ever quarter, is meant to be used as a monitoring aid and not to be cited as reference.

The GM Tracker is currently available in PDF format:

(147 kb)

(Last updated: 1 September 2007)