You won’t want to miss this podcast delving into the decade-long legal proceedings to stave off the introduction of Monsanto/ Bayer’s alleged drought-tolerant GM maize in South Africa.

This ended in a landmark victory in the Constitutional Court, which upheld the Supreme Court of Appeal’s ruling that the government’s had failed to follow due process to determine whether an environmental risk assessment was required, sidestepping the precautionary principle. In conversation with ACB director Mariam Mayet are three scientists, Professor Jack Heinemann, Dr Angelika Hilbeck, and Dr Eva Sirinathsinji, who generously gave many hours of their time and expertise to provide expert testimony.

This insider glimpse reveals just how meagre the “evidence” of efficacy and safety that Monsanto submitted was, and how cursory the approval process has been. To find out more please click here: https://acbio.org.za/gm-biosafety/huge-constitutional-court-victory-for-the-african-centre-for-biodiversity-and-gmo-decision-making/

This legacy series provides an opportunity to reflect on and celebrate the past two decades of ACB’s advocacy and activism, with a particular focus on resisting the introduction of genetic engineering into our agricultural and food systems in Africa. The first podcast, hosted by ACB Research and Advocacy Officer Sabrina Masinjila, features our Executive Director and founder, Mariam Mayet and Haidee Swanby, who worked for ACB for a decade. Don’t miss this intimate recounting of the early years, as civil society scrambled to understand the emerging technology and its risks, and then resisting its introduction. In the second podcast we will hone in on the fight to have genetically modified organisms (GMOs) regulated, with a deeper dive into our engagement in the international arena and the drafting of the Convention on Biological Diversity’s Cartagena Biosafety Protocol, as we continue to look back on our legacy of two decades of activism.

Music Credit: Afro Impulse by ViljamiMehto; art piece by Vanessa Black, from our archive.