Five Year Freeze renews its commitment to a moratorium on GM
gmfreeman | 04.03.2004 17:50 | Bio-technology | Ecology
The Five Year Freeze today renewed its commitment to a
moratorium on the commercial growing of GM crops in the UK.
moratorium on the commercial growing of GM crops in the UK.
FIVE YEAR FREEZE RENEWS COMMITMENT TO A MORATORIUM ON GM
For immediate release
The Five Year Freeze today renewed its commitment to a
moratorium on the commercial growing of GM crops in the UK,
in anticipation of tomorrow's report from the Environmental
Audit Committee evaluating the GM Field Scale Evaluations
and despite the Governments intention to push ahead with
the commercialisation of GM maize.
Freeze Director Clare Devereux said "Ministers have been
using the results of the FSEs to justify growing GM maize
in the UK. The Freeze is arguing that more research needs
to be done before any commercial growing of GM maize is
allowed as the trials were invalid for a number of reasons.
However, the FSEs are only one part of the GM jigsaw and
the Government should be looking at much wider evidence to
inform their decisions, not least the huge public
resistance to GM in this country."
"There is mounting evidence from countries already growing
GM crops that they are experiencing contamination of non-GM
and organic crops as well as facing messy legal battles
over who is to blame and who should pay compensation. The
Government appears to be keen to ignore this evidence and press
ahead anyway which would undoubtedly bring these problems to
the UK."
The Five Year Freeze campaign was five years old in February
and has received an overwhelming mandate from its 125 [1]
supporting organisations to continue the campaign. We have
just reviewed our position statement which concludes that the
majority of our original concerns have not been addressed and
that the recent evidence from Government funded research
highlights the fact that those concerns are still very relevant.
The Five Year Freeze is renewing its call for:
Full protection of consumer choice not to grow or eat GM products,
including products from animals fed on GM food, through stricter
labelling regulations and lower contamination thresholds
Protection of the non-GM food chain from contamination to a
level not detectable at 0.1% for all non-GM crops
Strict liability laws for environmental and economic harm
arising from contamination to a level of 0.1% caused by growing
GM crops, including the costs of preventing and detecting
contamination to be borne by the industry that produces and
profits from developing them
Independent assessment of the implications of patenting genetic
resources
Independent assessment of the social and economic impact of
genetic engineering on farmers
Long term, independent research on the safety and impacts of
GM food for humans, animals and the environment that is open,
transparent and trusted by the public. This should include
assessment of the impact of GM crops on soil micro-organisms,
farmland ecology the implications of pollen distribution
A ban on the cultivation of herbicide tolerant GM sugar beet
and oil seed rape based on the evidence of the farm scale
evaluations and a ban on the cultivation of GM maize until
further research has evaluated the environmental impact of
commercial production
A ban on the growing of GM crops which could lead to genetic
contamination of native species
Thorough consideration of alternatives to genetic engineering
in the global food supply
A rejection of the use of hunger and malnutrition faced by
the developing world as a justification for commercialisation
of GM crops in the UK
[1] Five Year Freeze supporters are:
Action Aid
Action Against Allergy
Additives Survivors' Network
Agricultural Christian Fellowship
African Initiatives
Baby Milk Action
Bakers, Food and Allied Workers Union
Biodynamic Agricultural Association
Black Environmental Network
Body Shop International PLC
British Allergy Foundation
British Association of Fair Trade Shops
British Association of Nature Conservation
British Naturopathic Association
Caduceus
Campaign for the Protection of Rural Wales
Campaign to Protect Rural England
Catholic Institute International Relations
Centre for Alternative Technology
Chartered Institute of Environmental Health
Christian Aid
Christian Ecology Link
Communities Against Toxics
Compassion In World Farming
Corporate Watch
Culpepers
Earthshare Ltd
Ecologist
Ecology Building Society
Econexus
Elm Farm Research Centre
Ethical Consumer
FARM
Farm-A-Round Ltd
Farming and Livestock Concern
Federation of City Farms and Community Gardens
Find Your Feet
Food Commission
Food for Health Network
Food Poverty Network
Forum for the Future
Fresh Food Company
Freshlands UK
Friends of the Earth
Friends of the Earth Scotland
Gaia Foundation
Gardeners GMO Group
GE Free Forests
Genetics Food Alert
Genetics Forum
GeneWatch UK
GM-Free Cymru
GMO Campaign
Good Gardeners Association
Green & Blacks
Green Books
Green Network
Green Party
Greenpeace
Guild of Fine Food Retailers
Guild of Food Writers
Harvest Help
HDRA
Health Food Manufacturer's Association
Help International Plant Protein Organisation (HIPPO)
Hyperactive Children's Support Group
Iceland Foods
Institute for Science in Society
Intermediate Technology Development Group
International Society for Ecology and Culture
Islamic Concern
Islamic Foundation for Ecology and Environment Sciences
Living Lightly
Local Government Association
Longhouse Food Consultancy
Maternity Alliance
Medact
National Association of Health Stores
National Federation of Women's Institutes
National Society of Allotment and Leisure Gardeners Ltd
Natural Law Party
Natures Store Ltd.
Neal's Yard Bakery
Neal's Yard Remedies
New Economics Foundation
New Internationalist
Noah Project
Organic Farm Foods Wales
Organic Gardening
Organic Shop
Organics Direct
Oxfam
People & Planet
Permaculture Association UK
Permaculture Magazine
Permanent Publications
Pesticides Action Network UK
Plamil Food
Planet Organic
Positive News
Pret A Manger
Pro-natural Food Scotland
Resurgence
Scientists for Global Responsibility
Scottish Beekeepers Association
Small Farms Association
Soil Association
Student Environment Network
TGWU
The Harbour
Townswomen's Guilds
Traidcraft Plc
Triodos Bank
UNISON
Vegan Society
Vegetarian Society
Vetwork UK
Vinceremos Wines & Spirits Ltd
Welsh Beekeepers Association
Whole Earth Foods Ltd
Wholesome Food Association
Wildlife Trusts
Womankind Worldwide
Women's Environmental Network
Woodland Trust
World Development Movement
World Wide Fund for Nature
Carrie Stebbings
FIVE YEAR FREEZE CAMPAIGN
The Genetic Engineering Alliance
94 White Lion Street
London
N1 9PF
Tel: 020 7837 0642/01273 822700
Fax: 020 7837 1141
carrie@fiveyearfreeze.org
www.fiveyearfreeze.org
gmfreeman
e-mail:
carrie@fiveyearfreeze.org
Homepage:
http://www.fiveyearfreeze.org