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REALFOOD: Real Food News August 2003

 

 

 

 

Real Food News August 2003

 

In a nutshell

 

More success for the GM-free Britain campaign, with the East Riding

of

Yorkshire joining the growing list of GM-free local authorities (see

1

August 2003). See www.gmfreebritain.com to see which areas are GM-

free

and ask your council to take action.

 

GM contamination fears have arisen on land used for the Farm Scale

Trials, as Defra warned that oilseed rape seeds may persist in

greater

quantities in the soil than previously thought (see 25 July 2003).

Farmers

have been advised not to grow conventional oilseed rape this autumn

on

land used for trials of GM oilseed rape. Later in the week it

emerged

that farmers who do grow conventional oilseed rape on such land are

likely to produce crops so contaminated that it would be unlawful to

sell

them in Europe (see 28 July 2003).

 

Underhand tactics have been used to try and discredit a key member

of

the Government's Science Review panel (see 25 July 2003). After

challenging GM safety assessments and procedures, Dr Stirling

experienced

attempts to undermine his research, professional standing and

funding.

 

Internationally, the GM trade war is set to escalate as countries

meet

to hear the US request for a WTO panel to consider the GM dispute

with

the EU (see 15 August 2003)

 

Back in the UK, the Tractors and Trolleys parade against GM is set

to

get media attention from all over the country, as ten pilgrims make

their journeys to London by foot, tractor and bike (see 22 August

2003).

There they will join the hundreds of protestors gathering on 13th

October to remind the Government that the UK public does not want GM

crops

and food.

 

Join us on the parade on 13th October! Sign up online at

www.tractorandtrolley.com or contact 0808 800 1111 for more

information.

 

Thank you for your support and help with our campaigns.

 

Liz Wright

Real Food & Farming Campaign Assistant

____

 

22 August 2003

 

Pilgrims to join tractors and trolleys against GM

 

Ten individuals will make a personal pilgrimage to London from all

corners of the country this October, travelling by foot, tractor and

bike

to demonstrate their deep opposition to GM crops. Their journeys

will

take place in the weeks leading up to October 13th when the pilgrims

will

join hundreds of consumers, environmentalists and farmers at a

central

London Tractors and Trolleys Parade against GM.

 

The event is organised by Friends of the Earth, the Five Year

Freeze,

Genetic Engineering Network and GM-free Cymru. At least 10

individuals

plan to make the pilgrimage to London; with one walking from

Scotland,

one cycling from Land's End, and one driving a tractor from

Pembrokeshire. Others will walk or cycle from Devon, Yorkshire,

Brighton,

Cambridge, Essex, and Birmingham. The pilgrimages will take in

significant

locations en route including GM crop test sites, biotech companies

and

local farmers markets, and will be supported by local activities and

send

off actions.

 

The Tractors and Trolleys Parade comes at the end of a summer of

anti-GM activity triggered by the Government's GM Nation debate and

coincides

with the start of the new parliamentary session when the Government

is

expected to announce its decision on the commercial growing of GM

crops.

 

" People in this country are have made it clear that they do not want

GM

crops in their countryside or GM food on their plates, " said Friends

of

the Earth GM campaigner Clare Oxborrow. " Pilgrims, consumers and

farmers from up and down the country will unite in London in October

to show

their strong opposition to GM and to demand that Tony Blair makes

sure

that this year doesn't see the last GM-free harvest. "

 

" As a farmer I am concerned that no-one knows the impact of GM on

our

health or the environment, " said Gerald Miles, from GM-free

Cymru. " I

believe planting GM crops on a commercial scale is not a risk we

should

be taking especially as consumer demand for non-GM food is

overwhelming. GM crops, whether planted commercially or as trials,

will inevitably

contaminate both non-GM and organic crops. If the Government does

go

ahead with the commercialisation of GM, it will put our seed

purchases

and chemicals under corporate control and it will be another nail in

the

farming coffin. I am planning to drive my tractor all the way from

Pembrokeshire to London to join the Tractors and Trolleys Parade to

draw

attention to our concerns " .

 

Opposition to GM remains high and there is deep concern about the

impacts of GM crops and food on our health and the environment.

Around the

country local authorities from Cornwall to Cumbria have voted to act

against GM as part of Friends of the Earth GM-free Britain campaign.

 

____

 

15 August 2003

 

US Takes Next Step in GM Trade War

 

The transatlantic trade war over Europe's stance on genetically

modified (GM) foods and crops will escalate next week when countries

meet to

hear the US request for a WTO panel to consider the dispute. The

trade

war comes as the British Government decides on growing GM crops

commercially following a public consultation and science and

economic reviews

earlier this year.

 

Friends of the Earth has accused the Bush Government of using the

secretive and undemocratic World Trade Organisation (WTO) to " force-

feed "

Europe and the rest of the world GM. And there are concerns here in

the

UK that the Blair Government is ready to bow to US demands and

ignore

public feeling on the issue of GM.

 

The US originally called for WTO consultations with the European

Union

(EU) on May 13th, 2003 claiming that the de facto moratorium on GM

products in Europe was not only harming their farmers but also

stopping

developing countries from adopting the controversial technology.

However

Egypt, the only African country supporting the US, withdrew even

before

the consultation process began. The US has reportedly retaliated by

ripping up a free-trade agreement with the Egyptian government.

 

" The US Administration, funded by the biotech giants, is using the

undemocratic and secretive WTO to force feed the world GM food, "

said

Friends of the Earth Corporate Globalisation Campaigner Eve

Mitchell.

" Decisions about the food we eat should be made here in the UK and

not the

White House, the WTO or Monsanto's HQ. Blair must not pander to the

demands of his buddy George Bush. And the European Commission must

continue

to fight this aggressive US policy and ensure that Britain's

wildlife

and people are protected from the threat of GM crops. "

 

____

 

1 August 2003

 

East Riding Goes GM-Free

 

The East Riding of Yorkshire has voted to become a GM-free area,

joining local authorities around the country responding to public

concerns

about the effects of eating and cultivating GM crops.

 

Friends of the Earth, who are campaigning for a GM-free Britain,

welcomed the vote, which was passed unopposed. The East Riding of

Yorkshire

is the latest authority to go GM-free, following Cornwall, Cumbria,

Devon, Dorset, Lancashire, Warwickshire, Shropshire, Somerset, South

Gloucestershire, the Lake District National Park and the Welsh

National

Assembly. Several district and town councils have also voted to go

GM-free.

 

Campaigners in East Riding raised concerns about the long term

impacts

of GM food and crops on our health and environment, and on the

threat

to local organic and non-GM farmers. A government-sponsored review

of GM

science published in July admitted to a number of uncertainties and

gaps in our knowledge. And the Government's review of GM economics

concluded there was little short term market for GM food, while its

long-term

prospects were equally bleak if the public continued to reject GM

food.

 

East Riding voted to act according to its powers to ensure no GM

crops

are grown on land it controls; to adopt a GM-free policy barring GM

ingredients and derivatives from its goods and services; and to

approach

the Secretary of State for the Environment to request legal

protection

for the area under EU legislation.

 

" This is great news for people in the East Riding who are rightly

concerned about the impact of GM crops and food, " said Friends of

the Earth

Campaigns Director Mike Childs. " Up and down the country local

authorities are sending a clear message to the Government that they

do not

want GM. It is now up to Tony Blair to listen to what the country is

saying and ensure Britain remains GM-free. "

 

" This is a fantastic result, " said East Riding organic grower and

anti-GM campaigner Dr Gwen Eggington. " We are very pleased and

relieved

that this will free us from the threat of GM crops being grown in

the

area. It means that organic and non-GM agriculture in this area will

have a

chance to flourish. "

 

____

 

28 July 2003

 

Illegal GM contamination threat

 

The Government's GM advisors have revealed that farmers who grow

conventional oil seed rape on land where GM oil seed rape has

previously been

grown are likely to produce crops that are so heavily contaminated

with

GM material that it would be unlawful to sell them in Europe.

 

Minutes released by the Advisory Committee on Releases to the

Environment [ACRE], reveal that after two years farmer that have

taken part in

the GM trials " could legally plant conventional rape but in doing so

it

would not be possible to control GM volunteers. Preliminary results

from new research had shown that up to 5% of the crop which emerges

could

be GM volunteers, thus making it potentially unlawful to market the

crop. " GM oil seed rape is not licensed for sale in the UK. EU rules

allows up to 0.5 per cent GM contamination from a crop that has not

been

licensed in Europe. Above that level it would be illegal to sell it.

 

On 25 July, the Government issued a press statement saying that

farmers

that have taken part in the Farm Scale Evaluations of GM crops had

been

warned not to grow conventional oil seed rape this on land where a

GM

variety had previously been grown in the coming planting season

commencing next month. The release neglected to mention that the

crops produced

risked GM contamination levels ten times more than legally allowed.

 

Advice offered by the EU's Scientific Committee on Plants in 2001

suggested that a five year gap should elapse between GM oilseed

crops and

non-GM seed production and that " volunteers may arise for up to 10

years,

possibly longer "

 

Friends of the Earth has written to the Government to ask:

 

- How many years should elapse before it is safe to grow

conventional

oil seed rape on land that has hosted GM oil seed rape trials;

 

- What measures have been taken to ensure that GM oil seed rape has

not been, and will not be, grown on land that has also hosted GM oil

seed

rape trials, but not as part of the GM farm scale evaluations.

Experimental crops have been grown on huge tracts of land, sometimes

bigger

than FSE trials, since 1997.

 

" Fields where GM oil seed rape has been grown are so heavily

contaminated that farmers won't be able to grow conventional oil

seed rape in

them for years to come, " said Friends of the Earth GM Campaigner

Pete

Riley. " If they do they are likely to produce crops that can't

legally be

sold in Europe. The Government must take steps to ensure that all

farmers that have grown GM oil seed rape, and not just the ones that

have

taken part in the farm scale trials, are banned from planting rape

in

these heavily polluted fields. This news highlights the threat GM

crops

pose to our food, farming and environment. The Government must not

allow

GM crops to be commercially grown in the UK "

 

____

 

25 July 2003

 

" Deplorable " Attack on GM Scientific Critic

 

Friends of the Earth have described an attempt by a leading

scientist

to undermine the standing and research funding of a key member of

the

Government's GM Science Review panel who challenged GM safety

assessment

and procedures as " deplorable " and likely to further undermine the

public's confidence in the regulatory process and science.

 

The " clandestine attempt " to undermine the research, professional

standing and funding was targeted at Dr Andy Stirling of the Science

Policy

Research Unit at the University of Sussex. It emerged when the

minutes

of the Science Review meeting on 24th June were published yesterday.

Dr

Stirling was one of two scientists nominated by environment and GM

campaigners to sit on the science review panel. He played an

important role

in developing the panels' approach to reporting on the scientific

uncertainties and gaps in scientific knowledge surrounding GM foods

and

crops. Dr Stirling is a specialist in risk assessment.

 

The minutes make it clear that the scientific who sought to

undermine

Dr Stirling was not a member of the science review panel but a

scientist

with an " association " with the review. The chair of the review panel

Government Chief Scientist Professor David King " deplored " the

action and

this view was supported by all members of the panel. The minutes

state:

 

" Ultimately, such behaviour by individuals in privileged academic or

regulatory positions threatened seriously to compromise the

credibility

and proper functioning of the science advice system " .

 

Another member of the panel was reported to have resigned because of

concerns that future research funding may be threatened by his views

challenging GM crop approvals.

 

" This is not the first time that UK scientists who have expressed

legitimate concerns about the safety of GM food and crops have been

attacked " said Friends of the Earth's Executive Director Juniper. " The

fact that on this occasion it has been done behind the scenes makes

it

all the more deplorable and represents a serious abuse of power.

Whoever

is responsible owes Dr Stirling a public apology. Scientists must

not

be threatened or silenced for speaking what they believe to be the

truth. The Government needs to act quickly to ensure that

scientific

research is free of corporate influence, regulatory committees are

balanced

and the public has a direct role in decision making. "

 

____

 

25 July 2003

 

Government warns GM farmers over contamination threat

 

British farmers who have previously grown GM oil seed rape as part

of

the Government's farm scale evaluations have been told that they

mustn't

grow conventional oil seed rape on the same land this autumn. The

move

follows fears that this might result in the non-GM rape suffering

from

significant levels of GM contamination.

 

A statement from the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural

Affairs (DEFRA) said today that " an analysis of the preliminary

results of

research commissioned by Defra...suggests that rape seeds from both

conventional and GM varieties may persist in greater quantities in

the

ground than had previously been thought. " Environment Minister

Elliot

Morley said; " There is concern that seeds remaining in the ground

from the

GM trial will germinate and that the harvested crop might exceed the

new EU thresholds on GM free crops. Clearly, the farmers involved in

the

FSEs must not be disadvantaged. "

 

The FSE farmers would be disadvantaged because:

 

- Consumers and food manufacturers throughout Europe do not want GM

food ingredients;

 

- GM oil seed rape is not licensed for sale in the UK. However, a

bizarre new EU rule allows up to 0.5 per cent GM contamination from

a crop

that has not been licensed in Europe. Above that level it would be

illegal to sell it.

 

Advice offered by the EU's Scientific Committee on Plants in 2001

suggested that a five year gap should elapse between GM oilseed

crops and

non-GM seed production and that " volunteers may arise for up to 10

years,

possibly longer "

 

" GM farmers have been told not to grow conventional rape on fields

where they have previously grown GM varieties because new evidence

shows

that this is likely to lead to significant levels of GM

contamination

which may make these crops unsaleable, " said Friends of the Earth GM

Campaigner Pete Riley. " But DEFRA's advice is far from

precautionary

because scientific evidence suggests seeds will persist in soil far

longer.

This is further proof of the damage that GM crops can cause, and

another

reason why the Government must not allow them to be commercially

grown

in the UK. "

http://www.foe.co.uk/campaigns/food_and_biotechnology

 

 

 

http://www.foe.co.uk/campaigns/food_and_biotechnology

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