The use of Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) in agriculture is still under intense debate, and national differences of opinion have hindered a pan-European solution thus far. Still, while the global cultivation area of GMOs increased by only 3% from 2015 to 2016 (179.7 million hectares versus 185.1 million hectares), across the EU the area increased by 17% (from 116,870 to 136,363 hectares). Nonetheless, resistance against GMO products remained high in Europe.

Microplastics are small particles in cosmetics or pharmaceuticals that don’t break down, but instead become part of the food chain via small aquatic animals and fish. Because of their danger to animals and humans, many politicians in Germany have called for a ban of microplastics in the industry.

According to the data handed out by the Federal Office for Economic Affairs and Expert Control (BAFA) the consumption of bioethanol slightly increased by 0.2% throughout 2016. A total of 1.2 million tonnes of bioethanol were added to the petrol categories “Super”, “Super Plus”, and “Super E10”. As stated by the Federal Association of the German Bioethanol Industry (BDB^e) this procedure reduced petrol-related CO₂ emissions by 1.9 million tonnes. They furthermore reported that “Super” held a market share of 82.8%, which equals 15 million tonnes.

European agricultural policies will have to change. That is the main message of the “LivingLand”-initiative that came to a close on May 2. Throughout the initiative, a public consultation on future common agricultural policies (CAP) in the EU, lay-citizens, farmers, and companies alike were asked to voice their opinions and suggestions in order to transform today’s agriculture into a more sustainable industry for tomorrow.

The Hannover Messe is Europe’s largest trade fair. The fair took place from April 24 to 28 with approximately 6,500 exhibitors from more than 70 countries.

The Priority Programs (PP) are a good way to gauge to future of basic research. Typically, PPs are multidisciplinary research projects assessing current topics with state-of-the-art methodologies. Supporting junior researchers and fostering gender equality are important aspects regarding the decision-making process on which PPs will get funded. Including the recently announced PP there are currently 97 PPs being funded by the DFG.

Global warming and the climate change have many negative consequences for the environment and for agriculture. The wine industry has been suffering a lot over the recent years due to extreme weather occurrences like storms and hail. An international team consisting of researchers spanning multiple disciplines and including James Daniell at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) is analyzing, which areas are affected most by climate change and how wine cultivation areas may have to change in the future.

Amphibians such as frogs play an important part for the ecological equilibrium. On the one hand they serve as a food source for many birds and mammals, on the other hand they also consume a large amount of insects themselves, and are thus invaluable to keep pests at bay. In Germany and Europe more and more frog legs are being sold as delicacies. However, if the rising demand is met by catching wild frogs instead of breeding them under sustainable conditions, the balance of the ecosystem will be destroyed.

Despite great advances in technologies, precise weather forecasts are still very difficult to make. Thus, many researchers rely on computer models. However, these models are built upon specific data sets, which are difficult to come by. In particular agriculture requires exact forecasts and is largely negatively affected by the ongoing climate change.

The CRISPR-Cas system is a revolutionary and unique genome editing tool. It is the basis for countless new molecular research projects. And especially the applied research in the biotechnology sector is benefiting from the new approach – which is why it is being hailed as a remarkable breakthrough worldwide. There are currently a number of global projects underway that are investigating how best to apply the genome editing tool – medical researchers and plant breeding programs alike are testing and applying the new method.