On April 19, 2024, the Department of Agriculture-Philippine Rice Research Institute (DA-PhilRice), through the Office of the Government Corporate Counsel (OGCC), received the decision of the Court of Appeals upholding the Writ of Kalikasan against the vitamin A-enriched Golden Rice in the Philippines.
Golden Rice, also known as Malusog Rice, was developed with enhanced levels of beta-carotene to help tackle vitamin A deficiency (VAD), a form of malnutrition affecting more than 15 percent of children under six in the Philippines.
They say golden rice is “an ineffective tool to combat VAD it is also environmentally irresponsible, poses risks to human health, and compromises food security”, but these claims are wholly unsupported. The linked PDF only tries to scare you with the unknown (“we don’t know how the body processes this beta carotene!” like it’s different from that in carrots, and they don’t cite anything that shows people eating it developed health issues).
The court ruled that all commercial propagation of golden rice and Bt eggplant must be stopped until “the concerned respondent government agencies submit proof of safety and compliance with all legal requirements”
Greenpeace once again on the wrong side for reasons completely unsupported by data. I found this from 2013: https://www.greenpeace.org/international/publication/7136/golden-illusion/
They say golden rice is “an ineffective tool to combat VAD it is also environmentally irresponsible, poses risks to human health, and compromises food security”, but these claims are wholly unsupported. The linked PDF only tries to scare you with the unknown (“we don’t know how the body processes this beta carotene!” like it’s different from that in carrots, and they don’t cite anything that shows people eating it developed health issues).
Why did the court agree with Greenpeace?
Philippines: Farmers and citizens win court case against GM golden rice and Bt eggplant
You’ll note this news has no mention of Greenpeace.