Guest guest Posted May 3, 2004 Report Share Posted May 3, 2004 In a nutshell As reported in the 1st April Real Food News update, no GM crops are likely to be grown in the UK until at least 2008, after Bayer CropScience announced they have shelved plans to commercialise their GM maize Chardon LL (see 31 March 2004) - well done to everyone who has worked on this campaign! Pressure is now building on Europe to approve two GM foods: Syngenta's Bt11 sweet corn (see 26 April 2004) and Monsanto's NK603 maize (see 29 April 2004). The final decision for Bt11 sweet corn approval now rests with the European Commission, which has already threatened to force it onto the market and end the de facto moratorium. The EU will also vote today (Friday 30th April) on whether NK603 maize should be approved for import for public consumption, despite member states failing to support the crop for use as animal feed in February. But all over Europe GM-free areas are springing up in defiance of any new approvals (see 22 April 2004). A new website (www.gmofree-europe.org) highlights the different initiatives used in various European regions representing tens of millions of people. In the UK, all six counties in the south-west of England have now passed policies opposing GM crops. GM labelling laws have been tightened up (see 16 April 2004), although not enough to give shoppers a genuine GM-free choice, as food containing small amounts of GM will still not legally need to be labelled, nor will the products of animals fed GM feed. But major retailers and food companies have confirmed they will continue to shun GM ingredients in their products (see 15 April 2004). Our Zero Tolerance campaign calls on supermarkets to go further than the labelling laws by eliminating all GM ingredients down to the lowest level of detection and getting rid of GM animal feed in the production of animal products such as milk and meat. Contact your supermarket, or report sightings of GM labelled products at http://www.foe.co.uk/campaigns/real_food/press_for_change/gm_labellin g/index.html Retail giant Tesco announced record profits this month (see 20 April 2004), but at the expense of the livelihoods of British farmers and small shopkeepers, working conditions in developing countries, and environmental damage. Ask your MP to help us fight supermarket abuse of power by supporting our call for a stronger Code of Practice and a Retail Regulator at http://www.foe.co.uk/campaigns/real_food/press_for_change/code_practi ce/index.html Thank you for your support and help with our campaigns Liz Wright Real Food & Farming Campaign Assistant ____ 29 April 2004 Public should not be force fed GM crop not fit for animals A genetically modified crop already rejected by Europe as not good enough to be fed to animals is being put forward as a potential food for humans. The EU will today (Friday 30) vote on whether a GM maize (NK603) created by the US-based multinational Monsanto should be imported into Europe for public consumption. Earlier this week Agriculture Ministers failed to support a different maize application after disagreements emerged over its safety. The maize being debated today has been genetically modified to be resistant to Monsanto's herbicide, " RoundUp " . In February member states failed to support the same GM crop for use as an animal feed. " If this GM food is not good enough to be fed to cows then it certainly should not be fed to humans " , said Friends of the Earth GM Campaigner Clare Oxborrow. " The only logical action must be to reject this application and call on the GM industry to start doing proper safety tests. " Friends of the Earth is critical of the Monsanto application which: - fails to look at the grain's effects on subsequent generations, cumulative toxic effects and the effects on the health of sensitive consumers as required under EU food law - fails to explain or fully investigate unexpected discoveries occurring after the genetic modification - insufficiently investigated the possibility of the modification causing more allergies On the same day anti-GM campaigners will be protesting at the Annual General Meeting of Europe's largest GM company, the German-based Bayer about its involvement in GM crops. Protesters will highlight how Bayer's GM plans have gone wrong, ranging from their recent withdrawal from the UK market, the recommendation to ban their GM oilseed rape and the objections by EU member states and people in developing countries to their GM rice. " It is about time that Bayer faces reality " , said GM Co-ordinator for Friends of the Earth Europe Geert Ritsema. " GM foods are a failure. They are a risk to human health and the vast majority of consumers in Europe do not want them. Financial sense would dictate that Bayer should quit the GM business. " A briefing on NK603 can be found at www.foeeurope.org/GMOs/pending/index.htm ____ 26 April 2004 GM maize: EU Ministers fail to agree on safety Friends of the Earth today urged the European Commission to reject an application to allow genetically modified (GM) sweet corn to be imported into Europe after EU Agriculture Ministers failed to reach a decision. The deadlock was caused by member states disagreeing about the long-term safety of the food and the quality of the testing carried out. The application was supported by the UK Government. Today's vote in Luxembourg failed to reach a " qualified majority " in favour of approving the application by Swiss-based biotech firm Syngenta. The " Bt11 " maize has been modified to include a pesticide. The final decision now rests with the European Commission, which has already threatened to use its legal powers to force the GM sweet corn onto the market. If GM maize is allowed into Europe it will mark the end of Europe's de facto moratorium on the licensing of new GM food and crops. " All eyes will now be on the European Commission " , said Friends of the Earth GM Campaigner Clare Oxborrow. " Either it can force the GM sweet corn onto the European market, knowing that there are unanswered questions about its safety, or it must reject it outright. Time and time again European consumers have stated their opposition to GM food. It is time for the Commission to put the safety of consumers ahead of the interests of the biotech industry and refuse to allow GM sweet corn to be imported into Europe. " Friends of the Earth has raised serious question marks about the safety studies carried out on the maize and the process the Commission is using to force it through. In particular: - two reports attack the safety research The French government's food safety authority (AFSSA) concluded that " unforeseen effects cannot be discounted " and stated that further safety tests needed to be conducted before making conclusions on its safety for human consumption. Another report by the Austrian Government gave a damning verdict to Bt11, concluding that the whole plant was not tested, the assumptions made by the biotech company were false and the safety of Bt 11 is based on theoretical argument rather than evidence. - it ignores new regulations. Bt11 maize is being pushed through the old Novel Food Regulations even though new laws improving the approval process became applicable last week. The new regulations require, for example, a post-approval safety monitoring plan. A briefing - Ten reasons not to approve Bt11 - can be found at: www.foeeurope.org/GMOs ____ 22 April 2004 Campaign launched for new EU rules on GM-free areas Wiltshire County Council has become the latest local authority in Britain to go GM free. All six county councils in the South West region have now passed policies opposing GM crops. The news coincides with a Friends of the Earth campaign, launched today in Brussels, calling for new EU rules to allow local and regional authorities to ban GM crops from their areas. GM-free campaigns are now running in areas and regions in 16 current, and soon-to-be, EU countries [see fact sheet below]. Earlier this week Wiltshire confirmed that it had introduced policies to ensure that all council controlled catering is GM free and that new tenant farm agreements ban the growing of GM crops. Over 14 million people across the UK now live in areas that have introduced policies rejecting GM food and crops. The European Commission is already under pressure to allow regions and authorities to establish GM-free areas if GM crops are ever allowed to be commercially grown in Europe. In January the Commission admitted that it would " be difficult to reject these attempts at establishing GM-free zones, which are driven by strong public local concern and economic considerations (such as protection of local traditional agriculture) " . Friends of the Earth Europe has also launched a new website - www.gmofree-europe.org - to highlight the different GM-free initiatives in the various European regions representing tens of millions of people. Actions range from regions introducing local laws to ban cultivation, to public authorities lobbying both Europe and national Governments for legal protection. " Local and regional authorities across the UK and Europe are increasingly taking steps to keep their food, farming and environment free from GM pollution " , said Friends of the Earth GM Campaigner Clare Oxborrow. " The EU must take notice, and introduce new European legislation to enable these areas to stay GM-free if Europe ever makes the mistake of allowing GM crops be commercially grown. " " This is great news for Wiltshire, the South West and the UK as a whole " , added GM-free South West Campaign Co-ordinator Keith Hatch. " Every county in the region has now taken steps to be GM Free, sending a very strong message to the government that the people of the South West want nothing to do with GM crops and the damage to the local economy and environment that they will undoubtedly cause. " " Although we didn't know it, for the last eighteen months we have been pushing against an open door " , said Jean Saunders of Wiltshire Friends of the Earth. " We are delighted that Wiltshire County Council has taken positive action to reflect the concerns of the majority of local people who do not want to eat GM food and do not want GM crops contaminating the countryside. " Fact Sheet April 2004 - GM-FREE EUROPE The number of regions in the EU that want to ban the growing of GM crops is continuously growing. Initiatives have started in at least 22 European countries. This is summary of some of the most visible initiatives. For more information please go to www.gmofree- europe.org Austria Eight out of the nine Austrian provinces have now indicated that they want to go GMO-free. Over 100 municipalities have also signed a GMO- free resolution. The region of Upper Austria has passed a law making it a GMO-free zone. Five other provincial parliaments (Salzburg, Tirol, Burgenland, Steirmark and Lower Austria) have also demanded their governments to declare their province GMO-free. Belgium 39 communities in the Flemish and 81 communities in the French speaking part of Belgium have declared themselves GMO-free. France In France more than one thousand majors have issued declarations of GMO-free status of their municipality. At a regional level, three regions have issued GM-free: Alpes de Haute Provence, Aquitaine and Limousin. Greece Currently 40 out of the 54 Greek prefectures have voted to declare their area GMO-free and nine more are in the process of doing so. The prefecture of Rhodope and the Drama Kavala - Xanthi County have joined the European Network of GM-Free regions. Italy More than 500 cities in Italy have taken a position against the use of GMOs in agriculture. The combined area of those communities that have already signed a resolution against GMOs and those that recently have indicated to ban GMOs means that nearly 80% of Italy's territory is declared GMO-free. Slovenia The Bio-region ALPE ADRIA, covers the whole area of Slovenia, the Austrian provinces of Carinthia and Styria and the Italian provinces of Friuli-Venezia Giulia and Veneto. In June 2003, a joint GMO-free statement was signed by the presidents of organic farmers associations from these five Alpine regions. UK So far 44 areas (this includes:12 County councils, 9 Unitary authorities, 2 Metropolitan districts, 1 London Borough, 13 District councils, 2 National Parks Authorities, 5 Town/Parish councils) in England and 35 councils in Wales have approved a GMO-free resolution, bringing the total UK population living in areas with a GMO-free policy to over 14 million. ____ 20 April 2004 Tesco Profits - at whose expense? Tesco's record profits, announced today, were made at the expense of the livelihoods of British farmers and small shopkeepers, working conditions in developing countries, and environmental damage, Friends of the Earth said today. The environmental campaign group is calling on the Government to act to bring the retail giant under tighter control. 1. Tesco treats British farmers unfairly and things are getting worse: According to the Competition Commission's report on supermarkets in 2000 Tesco paid the lowest prices to suppliers. Although a Supermarket Code of Practice was introduced in 2002 to stop unfair trading practices, the Competition Commission and Office of Fair Trading have found that it has made no difference to the way in which Tesco operates. In fact things have got worse for Tesco suppliers - in 2003 the Competition Commission's report on Safeway said that suppliers said their negotiating strength with Tesco had been `much reduced' over the last four years. 2. Tesco squeezes overseas suppliers leading to uncertain jobs and poor conditions for workers Recent research by Oxfam in South Africa revealed how " Tesco loads many of the costs and risks of its fresh-produce business onto farmers, who are passing them on to workers - especially women - in the form of precarious employment " . Oxfam found that women working for supermarket suppliers were struggling to make ends meet to feed their children, most got no paid sick leave or maternity leave and many had to work in poor conditions without protective clothing. 3. Tesco's dominance puts smaller shops out of business. Tesco now controls 27% of the grocery market and is increasing its share of sales of non-food goods. In 2000, the Competition Commission warned that the massive buyer power of the big supermarkets made it hard for smaller shops to compete. But now Tesco has been allowed to expand further by taking over chains of high street convenience stores creating a new threat to local stores. One local trader in Withensea, North Yorkshire, called on the Office of Fair Trading to intervene when Tesco opened a store nearby and cut prices by 40%, saying that Tesco was trying to put him out of business. If Tesco's growth continues unchecked consumers will soon be left with little choice of where to shop. 4. Tesco has been found to be selling furniture from illegally logged timber Last year Tesco was found to be selling tropical wood garden furniture made from illegally sourced Indonesian timber. Tesco was thrown off the WWF `1995 Plus Group' of which it had been a member for eight years, supposedly committing the company to buying timber products independently certified by the Forest Stewardship Council as legal and sustainable. Illegal logging causes major social and environmental damage, fuelling corruption and organized crime. " Tesco boss Sir Terry Leahy may be laughing all the way to the bank but his success comes at a high price to British farmers, local shops, overseas workers and the environment " , said Friends of the Earth Food and Farming Campaigner Sandra Bell. " And if Tesco's is allowed to continue its bully behaviour and aggressive takeover plans, consumers will be left with little choice of where to shop. The Government must step in and set stricter rules to control Tesco's trading practices and call a moratorium on any further takeovers " . Friends of the Earth says that it is clear that Tesco is abusing its powerful position in the market and is calling on the Government to act to impose stricter controls. Friends of the Earth is demanding: - a much stricter statutory Code of Practice to stop unfair trading practices and protect British and overseas farmers, and an independent Supermarket Watchdog to enforce it. This demand is backed by an alliance of 14 farming, consumer and environmental organisations - a moratorium on Tesco taking over other chains of convenience stores, the impacts of which have not yet been fully assessed. - stricter planning regulations to protect local shops and town centres. - corporate accountability legislation which would give directors of companies a duty of care for communities and the environment, making them legally accountable for the actions of their companies overseas. ____ 16 April 2004 New GM labelling laws in force New labelling laws which come into force across Europe today (Sunday 18 April) giving consumers better information about genetically modified (GM) ingredients in food won't give shoppers a genuine GM-free choice, according to Friends of the Earth. Food accidentally containing small amounts (0.9%) of GM will still not legally need to be labelled, nor will the products of animals fed GM feed, like milk and meat. Friends of the Earth has launched a GM " Zero Tolerance " campaign, calling on supermarkets to give customers a real GM free choice by going further than the law. They can do this by eliminating all GM ingredients down to the lowest levels of detection and getting rid of GM animal feed in the production of milk, meat and other animal products. The environmental group is also asking shoppers to report any GM labelled food in stores via text or e-mail. It follows a recent survey by Friends of the Earth (April 14 2004) which revealed the UK's leading supermarkets and food manufacturers will continue to reject GM food, with most saying they will not need to label any of their own-brand products when the new regulations come into force. " Whilst we welcome the new GM food labelling laws, they don't go nearly far enough " , said Friends of the Earth GM Campaigner Clare Oxborrow. " Small amounts of GM ingredients can still find their way into our food without needing to be labelled and consumers still won't be able to avoid milk and meat from animals fed GM feed. Supermarkets have already listened to their customers and put in place GM free policies, but they could be going further. Consumers have tremendous power over retailers, and we are urging them to use that power to ensure that everyone has a real choice about what they eat. " The United States Government has threatened to challenge the European GM labelling scheme under World Trade Organisation (WTO) rules. The USA and a handful of other countries have already launched a WTO case over Europe's de facto moratorium on the granting of new GM licenses on GM food and crops. ____ 15 April 2004 Food Firms Reject GM Ingredients The UK's biggest food companies will continue to reject GM ingredients in their products when tougher GM labelling laws are introduced on Sunday 18th April, a survey by Friends of the Earth has revealed. The news will be welcomed by consumers across the UK who made it clear that they do not want to eat GM food. Meanwhile the UK Government, which opposed plans for tougher GM labelling rules to " minimise the risks " of alienating the US [1], is backing applications for GM rice and sweet corn to be imported into Europe. Under existing EU regulations, food containing one per cent or more of genetically modified DNA must be labelled so that consumers can opt to avoid it. But on Sunday 18th April tougher GM labelling rules come in to effect which: - cover 'derivatives' from GM crops including oils and lecithin, both mainly found in processed food; - tighten the labelling threshold from one per cent to 0.9 per cent; - include 'feed' fed to animals. Friends of the Earth contacted the UK's leading supermarkets and food manufacturers [see below] to question their policy on the new GM labelling laws. Most indicated that they do not expect to be required to label any of their own-brand products when the new regulations come into force. The continuing GM ban is a result of clear anti-GM pressure from consumers. Last year the Government embarked on a major public consultation on GM which found that most people said no to GM. Only eight per cent said they were happy to eat GM food - 86 per cent were not. News that food companies are continuing to boycott GM ingredients will come as a further blow to biotech firms. Last month it became clear that GM crops would not be grown in the UK for the foreseeable future when Bayer ditched plans to commercialise GM maize, despite qualified Government backing for the crop. The move means that the UK is likely to remain free from commercial GM crops for the foreseeable future. Despite consumer hostility toward GM food, the UK Government continues to support it at a European level, backing applications for GM rice and sweet corn to be imported into the UK. If these crops are allowed to be imported into the UK, it will be harder for companies to avoid GM contamination, and undermine consumer efforts to choose GM-free food. " Food companies are rightly continuing to listen to UK consumers and saying no to GM ingredients " , said Friends of the Earth GM Campaigner Clare Oxborrow. " This is good news for everyone who wants GM-free food. But the UK Government continues to undermine efforts to keep Britain GM-free by backing plans for GM rice and sweet corn to be imported in to Britain. If this happens it will be harder for companies and consumers to avoid GM. It's time Mr. Blair abandoned the dangerous and unpopular GM experiment and backed healthy and sustainable food and farming instead. " The United States Government has threatened to challenge the European GM labelling scheme under World Trade Organisation (WTO) rules. The USA and a handful of other countries have already launched a WTO case over Europe's de facto moratorium on the granting of new GM licenses on GM food and crops. Responses Supermarkets J Sainsbury " Based on the informal guidance received to date from the Food Standards Agency (FSA) we see no reason for any changes that will be required to be made to the labelling of our own label foods. " - Letter 31 April 2004 M & S " As a 100 % own brand retailer we are able to offer our customers a very clear proposition that all Marks & Spencer food is produced using non GM ingredients and derivatives " - Letter 12 March 2004 Waitrose " I can confirm that Waitrose continues to obtain food and food ingredients for Waitrose brand from conventional (rather than GM) sources and to transport and process them in a way designed to prevent accidental mixing with GM material. Therefore there will be no changes to the labelling of Waitrose brand products as far as genetically modified ingredients are concerned. " - Letter 10 March 2004 Co-op " With regard to our current product range and the impact of the impending EU regulations, none of our range will require labelling as containing GM ingredients " Budgens " ..it will remain our policy to ensure that no own brand products contain GM ingredients " Tesco " Tesco does not have any own-label GM foods on its shelves, and this will not change as a result of the new EU legislation in April; the new legislation will mean that branded products on our shelves which have GM ingredients will have to be labelled, enabling the customer to make an informed choice. " Morrisons/ Safeway " We have removed GM ingredients and GM derivatives from all our own label products. In accordance with current legislation we expect branded goods that contain GM ingredients to be clearly labelled to enable our shoppers to make their own informed choice about what they are buying. Regarding GM animal feed, we are working with our suppliers to come up with a solution that will support our existing policy. " ASDA " We do not at this stage anticipate private label products requiring GM labelling. " Somerfield/ Kwiksave " Our position with regards to Genetic Modification remains unchanged. The changes in the EU regulations will not affect our own label products or the way that we continue to produce them. " Iceland " Iceland own brand products have been made without GM ingredients since 1998 and we can confirm our commitment to this policy remains; the new regulations will not lead to any change in this position. " Letter 14 March 2004 Others Unilever " We do not expect there will be labelled products " Dick Toot, Unilever - phone conversation 6/4/04 Associated British foods " All ABF brands are GM free " - phone conversation. Nestle " Nestlé recognises consumer concerns about different aspects of Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) and therefore continues to provide non-GM products " Cadbury Schweppes: " From 18th April 2004 the date the regulation occurs our products will not require GM labelling. " - e-mail 5 April 2004 ____ 31 March 2004 Biotech firm ditches GM maize plans Biotech firm Bayer has shelved plans to commercialise its GM maize, Chardon LL, because the Government wants to impose conditions on its cultivation in order to protect the environment. Bayer said this would make Chardon LL " economically unviable " . Chardon LL was given limited Government approval earlier this month. Its withdrawal means that GM crops are unlikely to be grown in the UK until 2008 at the earliest. " This is very welcome news " , said Friends of the Earth GM Campaigner Pete Riley. " This GM maize had serious question marks about its safety and performance and should never have been given UK approval. But this was ignored by Bayer and the Government in their blind rush to push GM on the public " . " This episode will be acutely embarrassing to Ministers, and of deep concern to Bayer's shareholders. The Government must now abandon this dangerous and unpopular technology and concentrate on protecting our food, farming and environment from GM contamination and put real effort into genuinely sustainable agriculture. " http://www.foe.co.uk/campaigns/food_and_biotechnology --- - Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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