• The European Union has banned imports of untreated feathers from countries close to or neighbouring Turkey, where cases of avian flu have been recently reported. The countries affected by the ban are Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Iran, Iraq and Syria.

Virus causing disease in a crop identified

GM crops have been introduced into India. But the country lacks a comprehensive policy to regulate them

The health effects of GM foods can only be known over the long term. Safety evaluations should take this into account

Flying GM pollen raises a range of concerns. These should be taken note of when going in for GM crops

Labelling informs the consumer on whether a product contains GM content. Europe has adopted labelling, but the US objects

The relevance of GM crops to the needs of developing countries and ownership of GM has to be guided by sound policy