Guest guest Posted September 30, 2003 Report Share Posted September 30, 2003 owner-realfood | Tue, 30 Sep 2003 14:50:00 +0100 (BST) realfood REALFOOD: Real Food News September 2003 Real Food News September 2003 In a nutshell Brighton & Hove and Bristol have joined the growing number of GM- free councils (see 25 and 10 September 2003). Although a GM-free zone has been ruled against in Upper Austria (see 3 September 2003), this does not affect our campaign, as it uses a different part of European legislation. Further support has emerged from the Government's GM Nation? public debate results (see 24 September 2003), as more than half of respondents said they never wanted to see GM crops grown in the UK. And Bayer's failed attempt to keep GM crop trial locations secret has led to them pulling out of planned trials in the UK (see 28 September 2003). The UK Government, however, still seems keen to avoid upsetting US trade relations (see 21 September 2003), and appear to be burying their heads in the sand, as Margaret Beckett's speech at the Labour Party Conference failed to even mention GM (see 29 September 2003). Mixed news for pesticide residues - baby food was found to be free of residues at last (see 3 September 2003), but the supermarkets are still dragging their feet when it comes to putting policy into practice and reducing residue levels in fresh fruit and veg (see 17 September 2003). The decision on the Safeway takeover has finally emerged, with only Morrison's being given the go-ahead to take over Safeway (see 26 September 2003). Tesco, Sainsbury's and Asda-Walmart were blocked from bidding for the chain, but the takeover will still result in over two thirds of the grocery market being concentrated in the hands of four supermarkets. Internationally, the WTO meeting in Cancun looked to be bad news for small farmers in developing countries (see 4 September 2003) as agricultural negotiations took place. But the US attempt to get the WTO to bully Europe into accepting GM is facing fierce opposition, as citizens all over the world have been joining the Bite Back campaign (see 11 September 2003), encouraged by Michael Meacher MP (see 29 September 2003). Sign the Citizen's Objection at www.bite-back.org, to insist that the WTO respect people's right to choose what they eat and allow them to protect their environment. The GM-free Britain pilgrims are continuing their preparations for their journeys to the Tractor and Trolley Parade on 13th October (see 25 September 2003). Pilgrims are travelling from as far afield as north east Scotland and Land's End. 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 ____ September 29 2003 Beckett's green speech Commenting on Environment Secretary Margaret Beckett's speech in Bournemouth today Tony Juniper Director of Friends of the Earth said; " Margaret Beckett has rightly identified climate change as the " predominant challenge of our time. " Hopefully, her cabinet colleagues were paying attention. The Government is soon expected to make major decisions on airport expansion, transport policy, and pollution caps on power stations and heavy industry. " But why didn't Mrs Beckett mention GM food and crops? Following the overwhelming rejection of GM crops just last week, the Government must show it is listening. Ignoring the issue will not make it go away. " ____ September 29 2003 Meacher urges consumers to 'bite back' against GM bullying by USA Former Environment Minister Michael Meacher is urging UK consumers to oppose US plans to use World Trade Organisation (WTO) rules to force GM food and crops into the UK as part of Friends of the Earth's `bite back' campaign. Mr Meacher will join Friends of the Earth for a GM- free picnic with `President Bush' on the seafront at the Labour Party Conference in Bournemouth on Monday to highlight the campaign. Earlier this year the US administration launched a WTO complaint against Europe's de facto moratorium on GM crops and GM food imports. Friends of the Earth's Bite Back Campaign aims to collect thousands of on- line submissions to the WTO from people across the world demanding that it dismiss the US complaint. The website address is www.bite-back.org Last week the Government's GM public debate, GM Nation?, concluded that the vast majority of British people don't want GM food or crops. If the US, backed by the big biotech companies, wins its case, GM food and crops could be forced onto the UK and EU markets. Friends of the Earth believes that it is the right of people, not the WTO, to decide what we eat, and what crops we grow. " Surely people in the UK have the right to decide what food they are going to eat, " said Friends of the Earth Trade Campaigner Eve Mitchell. " If GM crops are commercially grown in the UK they will contaminate our food, farming and the environment and take away peoples' choice. We must stand up to US bullying. It's time to bite back. " " The results of the GM Public debate have clearly shown the strength of opposition to GM within the UK, " said Michael Meacher MP. " The Government must support the EU in defending this US challenge, and protect our right to choose GM-free food " . ____ September 28 2003 Biotech firm's failed bid for GM crop secrecy Biotech company, Bayer CropScience, has failed in an attempt to allow GM crop trials to be grown in secret it has been revealed today. The move was reportedly blocked by Environment Secretary Margaret Beckett. According to today's report the company was " close to a deal that would allow GM crop test sites to be kept secret. Instead of having to publish exact map references for fields, companies would only have to name the county in which it was holding a trial. " Bayer has apparently responded to Beckett's refusal to change the regulations by pulling out of planned GM trials. A Bayer official is quoted as saying that it has " no choice, therefore, but to cease its variety trial activities in the UK for this coming season " " Attempts to grow GM crop trials in secret reveals a staggering contempt for public opinion and total disregard for farmers and beekeepers around the country who want to meet the huge demand for GM-free food, " said Friends of the Earth GM Campaigner Pete Riley. " If you don't know where GM trials are taking place, you can't take steps to avoid contamination. Thank goodness Margaret Beckett has knocked this desperate bid on the head. It is clear that most people up and down the country do not want GM food or crops. So Bayer's pledge to quit growing GM crop trials will be warmly welcomed. " ____ September 26 2003 Warning over Safeway takeover Today's decision by the DTI to allow Morrison's to take over Safeway will reduce consumer choice and weaken the bargaining position of farmers Friends of the Earth warned today. The takeover will result in over two thirds of the grocery market being concentrated in the hands of just four supermarkets. However the group welcomed the government's decision to block Tesco, Sainsbury's or Asda-Walmart from bidding for the chain. Friends of the Earth also welcomed the decision requiring Morrison's to sell off 53 Safeway's stores to avoid local competition, but are critical of Mrs Hewitt for allowing Tesco to bid for these because the company already has more than 25% of the market share. Acquiring additional store will enable Tesco to strengthen its hold on the market against the long terms interests of the public. Today's Competition Commission report into the Safeway bids reinforces concerns raised by the Competition Commission in 2000 about the practices of the biggest supermarkets whose economic power allows them to squeeze out smaller competitors and impose unfair conditions on suppliers. Today's report concluded that the reduction from four (Asda, Sainsbury, Safeway, Tesco) to three (Asda, Sainsbury, Tesco) dominant companies would reduce competition and work against the public interest. This is an important signal that the Government recognizes the negative impacts of a highly concentrated retail market. However the DTI did not go as far as blocking all the bids, concluding that a Morrison's takeover would not be anticompetitive. Friends of the Earth believes that the merger of Morrison's and Safeway will lead to an unacceptable level of market concentration which will result in: - Less consumer choice - Tightening the existing `armlock' on farmers - Smaller shops closing - Possible higher food prices in the longer term as competition is reduced Friends of the Earth warned that the DTI's decision could result in more UK farmers being squeezed out of business unless the government now acts to give them greater protection against unfair trading practices. Following the previous supermarkets investigation in 2000 a Code of Practice was introduced to stop unfair trading practices by the biggest supermarkets, but the Code is widely believed to be a failure. The Competition Commission stated that all the evidence it received during the Safeway inquiry indicated that the Code was not working. The Office of Fair Trading is currently reviewing the Code and is expected to release the results of the review shortly. Friends of the Earth says that today's merger decision makes it even more urgent that a new and more effective Code is imposed on supermarkets. The DTI should also appoint an independent retail regulator to ensure that the Code is being properly enforced. " Allowing Morrison's to take over Safeway will place over two thirds of our grocery shopping in the hands of just four companies, " said Friends of the Earth Food and Farming Campaigner Pete Riley. " This is bad news for consumer choice and bad news for farmers. Supermarkets already use their powerful position to extract unreasonable terms from their suppliers. Having tipped the power balance further in favour of the supermarkets the Government must now act urgently to protect farmers from unfair trading practices. It must also appoint an independent supermarket watchdog, and replace the worthless supermarkets Code of Practice with something with real teeth. " ____ September 25 2003 Brighton goes GM-free Brighton and Hove Council today became the first local authority in the South East to vote to become a GM-free zone, joining a growing number of local authorities around the country responding to public concerns about the effects of eating and growing GM crops. Friends of the Earth, which is campaigning for a GM-free Britain, welcomed the two resolutions which were both passed unopposed and challenged East Sussex County council to do the same. The Council raised concerns about threats of GM to the South Downs National Park and local and organic food production. It declared itself a GM-free zone and voted to prevent GM crops being grown by tenant farmers, to bar GM food from its services like school meals; and to apply to use a new European law to prevent GM crops from being grown anywhere in Brighton and Hove. Brighton and Hove is the latest local 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. A number of district and town councils have also voted to go GM-free. " This is great news for people in Brighton and Hove who are rightly concerned about the impact of GM crops and food, " said Friends of the Earth South East Campaigner Brenda Pollack. " Up and down the country local authorities are sending a clear message to the Government that they do not want GM threatening their food, farming and environment. We now challenge East Sussex County Council to do the same. " " Concerns in Brighton and Hove echo those highlighted in the Government's GM Nation Public Debate - that people don't want to see GM crops being grown in the UK and don't want to eat GM food, " said Friends of the Earth GM Campaigner Clare Oxborrow. " Tony Blair must now listen to the public on this and to the numerous local authorities who want to keep their areas free of GM crops, and refuse to allow them to be grown " . ____ September 25 2003 Pilgrimage for a GM-free Britain Opponents of GM crops will take to the road over the coming few weeks as some 20 individuals from around the country embark on a journey to London as part of pilgrimage to a GM-free Britain. Campaigners from around the country will journey by foot, bicycle and tractor to the capital where they will join together with hundreds of people in a Tractors and Trolleys Parade on Monday 13th October to demonstrate their opposition to GM crops and food. The GM-free Britain pilgrimage follows the publication of the results of the Government's GM Nation debate, released yesterday, which showed high levels of opposition to GM crops and food among the general public. The Government, under pressure from the United States and from the biotech industry, must soon decide on the future commercialisation of GM crops in the UK. The event, organised by Friends of the Earth, the Five Year Freeze, GM-free Cymru and Genetic Engineering Network will highlight opposition to the activities of the biotech industry, and support for sustainable alternatives to GM crops and industrial agriculture. The journeys will take in significant locations en route including GM crop test sites, biotech company offices, organic farms and local farmers markets, and will be supported by local activities and send-off actions. Travelling alone or in groups, the campaigners for a GM-free Britain are all undertaking the journey to illustrate their deep opposition to the introduction of GM crops in our countryside and in our food. They include: Two cyclists travelling from north east Scotland, one towing a coffin representing the death of organic agriculture; An organic farmer travelling from Pembrokeshire by tractor, accompanied by a piano-playing artist singing GM-free opera; A tractor towing a GM-free carnival float travelling from Coventry A founder member of Scarborough Against Genetic Engineering (SAGE) travelling on foot from North Yorkshire to London " As a farmer I am concerned that no-one knows the impact of GM on our health or the environment, " said organic farmer and GM-free Cymru member Gerald Miles, who is travelling from Pembrokeshire by tractor. " 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 " . " I want to express the wishes of a diversity of people who want to produce and consume food with respect for nature and ethics, " said Friends of the Earth Regional Campaigner Mike Birkin, who is cycling from Land's End. " This choice could be denied us because of the machinations of a handful of very unscrupulous, very rich corporations and a prime minister who appears unwilling to listen. " " I am bound on a pilgrimage to a GM free Britain, " said Rowan Tilly from Brighton, who is travelling to London form Herefordshire. " A journey to bear witness to the land that has already been contaminated by crops, engineered out of greed and delusion. A journey to celebrate the communities of resistance that have sprung up in response, wherever GM crops have been planted. " ____ September 24 2003 National debate rejects GM food and crops The public doesn't want GM food and doesn't want the Government to allow GM crops to be commercially grown in the UK. This is the overwhelming conclusion from today's report on the Government-sponsored national GM debate, GM Nation? Friends of the Earth today challenged the Government to listen to the findings and rule out GM commercialization in the UK. The report's seven 'key messages' are brief and to the point: 1. " People are generally uneasy about GM; 2.The more people engage in GM issues, the harder their attitudes and more intense their concerns; 3.There is little support for early commercialisation; 4.There is widespread mistrust of government and multi-national companies; 5.There is broad desire to know more and for more research to be done; 6.Developing countries have special interests; 7.The debate was welcomed and valued. " GM Nation encouraged people to fill in a questionnaire, and 36,557 forms were returned. More than half (54 per cent) said they never want to see GM crops grown in the UK. A further 18 per cent would find GM crops acceptable only if there was no risk of cross-contamination, and 13 per cent wanted more research before any decision was made. A mere two per cent said that GM crops were acceptable " in any circumstances " and only eight per cent were happy to eat GM food (86 per cent were not). The debate organisers also conducted a series of separate interviews with groups of people, representative of the general population, who didn't take part in GM Nation?, to see if there was a " silent majority " with different views from those taking part in the debate. The results of this " Narrow But Deep " research " suggested that when people in the general population become more engaged in GM issues, and choose to discover more about them, they harden their attitudes to GM " . This included " more concern/ greater unease about all the risks most frequently associated with GM. In particular, the more they choose to discover about GM, the more convinced they are that no one knows enough about the long- term effects of GM on human health. " " The Government will ignore this report at its peril, " said Friends of the Earth GM Campaigner Pete Riley. " The public has made it clear that it doesn't want GM food and it doesn't want GM crops. There must not be any more weasel words from the Government on this issue. It must stand up to US and corporate lobbying, honour the findings of its own consultation, and rule out the commercialisation of GM crops. " ____ September 21 2003 Government to give GM crops the green light? Friends of the Earth has reacted angrily to reports that the Government is to pave the way for GM crops to be commercially grown in the UK by backing European Commission guidelines " banning GM-free zones and allowing the co-existence of GM with conventional crops " Today's Sunday Times reports correspondence between Environment Secretary, Margaret Beckett and cabinet colleagues which spells out Government support for the proposals which are due to be discussed at an EU Agriculture Ministers meeting later this month. UK ministers are also keen to avoid upsetting the US, which has launched a legal action against the EU under world trade rules. In her reply, Trade Secretary Patricia Hewitt says " We must also bear in mind the potential impact [on] EU- US relations " . However, Friends of the Earth insists that it is possible to establish GM-free zones in Europe. Under Article 19 of an EU GM Directive (Deliberate Release Directive 2001/18/EC) particular geographical areas or habitats/ecological zones can be excluded from GM marketing consents on a case by case basis, provided the environmental case can be made. Upper Austria's failed bid for a blanket GM ban used different regulations - EU Treaty (Article 95(5)). A number of local authorities have already voted to become GM-free and are due to use Article 19 to help achieve it. See www.gmfreebritain.com Later this week the results of the Government's GM consultation exercise, GM Nation, will be published. These are expected to show wide-spread opposition to GM food and crops. During the GM debate earlier this year, it was revealed that GM crops offer little economic benefit and that scientific uncertainties about their potentially damaging impacts remain. European opinion polls show that 70 per cent of Europeans do not want GM food and 94 per cent want to be able to choose whether or not they eat it. " The Government's consultation on GM crops revealed that they are unnecessary, unpopular and offer no economic benefit " said Friends of the Earth GM Campaigner Clare Oxborrow. " But despite this overwhelming thumbs down, they still seem determined to press ahead with their commercialisation. If this happens it will lead to extensive contamination and take away people's right to choose GM-free food. There is widespread support throughout Britain and the EU for GM-free zones, and European law allows this. The Government should back UK local authorities who are using this legislation to protect their food, farming and environment from GM contamination, rather than caving in to pressure from the US Government and its biotech backers. " ____ September 17 2003 Supermarkets' five year failure to cut pesticides in fruit and veg Supermarkets have failed to achieve any overall reduction in pesticide residues over the last five years, Friends of the Earth analysis of Government Pesticide Safety Directorate (PSD) data reveals today. The findings coincide with the PSD annual report on pesticides residues released this afternoon. Despite supermarket claims to be cutting pesticide use, nearly half of fresh produce still contains residues. Friends of the Earth's analysis of PSD data shows that last year 43% of fresh produce on supermarket shelves contained residues, a similar quantity were discovered with residues five years ago. Furthermore, there is little difference between supermarkets. Figures range from 41 per cent (Morrison's) to 50% Somerfield. However, residues for particular crops do vary. In 2002 residues were found in 36% of apples, 80% of oranges, and 69% of nectarines. Friends of the Earth did find that the Co-op and M & S appear to have been successful in banning specific pesticides. PSD results did not show any examples of prohibited pesticides turning up in these supermarkets produce in recent years. For example M & S has stopped suppliers worldwide using methamidophos and quintozene (neither is approved in the UK), and these pesticides have not been found in M & S produce since, though both have been found in produce from other major supermarkets. Asda has not faired so well. Three years ago it told Friends of the Earth that its suppliers do not use carbendazim on any crops, but this particular pesticide has since been discovered in Asda food including apples, cucumbers, grapes and peaches. These pesticides are all of particular concern because of their possible effects on human health. However, despite making progress with banning particular pesticides, the Co-op and M & S have not managed to reduce overall residue levels. M & S, which sets targets for residue reduction in fruit and veg, looks set to fail to meet them. M & S's target for 2003 is for 60% of its fruit to be residue-free, but 2002 results show that only 38% of M & S fruit was free from pesticides. " Supermarkets claim to be reducing pesticides in our food, but little progress has been made in the past five years, " said Friends of the Earth Pesticides Campaigner Sandra Bell. " Nearly half of their fresh fruit and veg still contain residue traces. Retailers must put some of their huge profits back into helping farmers find safer alternatives to toxic pesticides. Supermarkets should also make it easier for farmers to get off the chemical treadmill by putting the safety of food ahead of cosmetic perfection. " Friends of the Earth is calling on all retailers to phase out the most risky pesticides; to help farmers find alternatives to toxic chemicals; and to reduce farmers need to spray by not demanding cosmetic perfection. Growers have told Friends of the Earth that they use extra sprays to meet the supermarket's specifications. The Government also has a key role to play in ensuring that safer alternatives are available, something that it has so far failed to do. More funding is needed to research new approaches to crop protection, minimising the need for chemical pesticides. Supermarkets should also contribute funding to research projects but their track record on this so far has been poor. ____ September 11 2003 Public bite back in GM trade war Stakes were raised today in the Europe-US trade dispute over genetically modified (GM) food and farming as a new alliance of civil society groups pledged to create an unprecedented mass citizen objection to the dispute. The organisations involved, spanning more than 140 countries, aim to collect objections from citizens from all 146 World Trade Organisation (WTO) member countries, as a challenge to the WTO's secretive trade dispute mechanisms. The groups representing consumers, environmentalists, farmers, trade unionists and developing countries, launched their campaign on the day the United Nations Biosafety Protocol regulating GM food worldwide comes into force, September 11, 2003. The new campaign launched today - `Bite Back: WTO hands off our food' - invites the public to make their own legal submissions to the GM dispute in the form of a citizen's objection, insisting that the WTO must respect people's right to choose what they eat and allow them to protect their environment. The WTO, currently holding its 5th Ministerial Meeting in Cancun, promotes its disputes mechanism as its " most individual contribution " to the stability of the global economy. However it is conducted in secrecy with no access to the general public. The `Bite Back` campaign (online at www.bite-back.org) will directly challenge this and put the WTO inadequacies in dealing with food in the public spotlight. If the WTO deems that the European Union (EU) is breaking trade rules it will allow the US to force Europe to approve more GM foods and crops - or face huge financial penalties. The Biosafety Protocol is the first treaty that officially seeks to protect biological diversity from the potential risks posed by GM. It will require all exporters of GM which are to be released into the environment to take measures to prevent the contamination of GM seed products by implementing an `identity preservation' system. It also allows countries to take a precautionary approach if faced with scientific uncertainty over the impacts on the environment. " The US Administration, lobbied by the likes of biotech giant Monsanto, is using the undemocratic and secretive WTO to force feed the world genetically modified foods, " said Friends of the Earth Policy and Campaigns Director Liana Stupples. " The public should have the right to decide what they eat. Decisions about our food should not be made by the WTO or by Monsanto. It is clear that the WTO is neither fit nor independent enough to judge whether or not the public should eat GM foods. " ____ September 10 2003 Bristol goes GM-free Bristol City Council voted last night (Wednesday) to become a GM- free zone, joining a growing number of local authorities around the country responding to public concerns about the effects of eating and growing GM crops. Friends of the Earth, which is campaigning for a GM-free Britain, welcomed the motion, which was passed unopposed. Bristol City Council 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. A number of district and town councils have also voted to go GM-free. Bristol City Council declared itself a GM-free zone and voted to act to ensure no GM crops are grown on land it controls; to adopt a GM-free policy barring GM food from its services like school meals; and to apply to use a new European law to prevent GM crops from being grown. " This is great news for people in Bristol who are rightly concerned about the impact of GM crops and food, " said Friends of the Earth Regional Campaigner Mike Birkin. " 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. " ____ September 4 2003 WTO rules set to devastate biodiversity As hundreds of small farmers, indigenous people's groups and landless peasants start preparations to descend on Cancun in then next few days, Friends of the Earth added its voice to the groups protesting against the World Trade Organisation (WTO) and its new rules that promise a devastating impact on the world's biological and cultural diversity. The WTO's draft agreements on agriculture, services and intellectual property rights will lead to increased deforestation and the replacement of traditional agricultural crops, seeds and livestock by large- scale monocultures, including those based on genetically modified (GM) crops, Friends of the Earth said today. The most devastating impacts would come from agricultural trade agreements, especially if they are based upon the recent US- European Union joint pr http://www.foe.co.uk/campaigns/food_and_biotechnology --- - this message is from realfood --- - Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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