| Fight DEFRA's GM proposals (9/8/2006) | |
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1.GM contamination - local materials and event date EXCERPT: Defra claims its approach is "pragmatic"... [but] Defra fails to come up with a firm proposal as to who should be liable if non-GM crops are contaminated with GM. The insects and wind that transport pollen around our countryside will have little respect for Defra's pragmatism and we can look forward to the erosion of our rights to GM-free food as GM contamination creeps in if these proposals go ahead. (ITEM 2) 1.GM contamination - local materials and event date www.stopgmcontamination.org which has been set up to help people have their say in the Government's pathetic GM 'coexistence' consultation for England. We've now completed more materials to help campaigners work on this locally - available at http://community.foe.co.uk/contamination These include: - an action guide - full of ideas for helping spread the word and lobby MPs - an MP Briefing which summarises the main problems with the consultation in 4 sides, ideal for anyone with little time to get their head around the issues. - you can also order leaflets here to help spread the word These materials will be posted to campaigners on the Friends of the Earth GM network in the next couple of days. Finally - please note the date of Thursday 19 October - we're organising an action in London to mark the end of the consultation, to give campaigners a chance to get together to publicly reject the Government's GM contamination plans and insist they listen to our demands for tough action to keep our food and farming GM-free. Let us know if you'd like to join us and we'll keep you informed of further details â€" contact Richard Hines [email protected] or call 0113 242 8153. best wishes 2.FIGHT DEFRA'S GM PROPOSALS Choice? GM Freeze is concerned that crops will be contaminated http://www.newsandstar.co.uk/opinion/viewarticle.aspx?id=398435 LAST month Defra issued a public consultation on "Proposals for managing genetically modified (GM), conventional and organic crops." The most startling thing about this consultation is that the Government proposes to "facilitate choice between conventional, organic and GM crops" by aiming "to minimise any unwanted GM presence in non-GM crops so that it is below 0.9 per cent." In other words, crops cross pollinated with a neighbouring GM crop will still be classed as non-GM or organic even though they may have nearly one per cent GM present. Defra claims its approach is "pragmatic". The consultation specifically excludes gardeners, allotment holders, beekeepers and farmers, who save their home grown seed each year, from protection and, hence, compensation if they suffer contamination. Indeed, Defra fails to come up with a firm proposal as to who should be liable if non-GM crops are contaminated with GM. The insects and wind that transport pollen around our countryside will have little respect for Defra's pragmatism and we can look forward to the erosion of our rights to GM-free food as GM contamination creeps in if these proposals go ahead. But they can be rejected. If you share our concerns about Defra's proposals you can respond to the consultation which can be found at www.defra.gov.uk/corporate/consult/gmnongm-coexist/consultdoc.pdf. The deadline is October 20. For a guide on how to respond to Defra visit www.stopgmcontamination.org. Pete Riley |
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