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Sainsburys blockaded nationally!

Animal feed | 01.07.2004 23:41 | Bio-technology

Sainsburys chilled food distribution centres are blockaded across the country in protest against GM feed being fed to dairy cows.

SAINSBURY’S DEPOTS BLOCKADED: NO GM IN OUR MILK!

Sainsbury’s five biggest UK distribution centres have been shut down tonight. Environmentalists and consumers are simultaneously blockading the supermarket chain's chilled-goods depots in London, Liverpool, Birmingham, Bristol and Sheffield. They are chained together through steel tubes, and sitting up ‘tripods’ blocking the depot gates.

This co-ordinated action is intended to halt distribution of Sainsbury's dairy products that come from cows fed GM animal feed. The protest follows Sainsbury’s failure to provide non-GM fed milk as standard, despite rivals like Marks and Spencer and the Co-op doing so. The action is taken in solidarity with farmers, demanding they get a fair deal of 2p on the pound for non-GM milk. Removing GM animal feed is the last step necessary to make Britain entirely GM-free

A protester explained:
“Neither farmers or consumers want GM in our food chain. Sainsbury’s must keep their promise to phase out its use, and pay farmers properly so they can do so”

A farmer added:
“We are paid less for our milk than it costs to produce. GM is only adding to the crisis in our industry. We want an end to the exploitation of foreign farmers through GM, and an end to the exploitation of us by the supermarkets.”

The protesters intend to stay until GM fed products are taken off Sainsbury’s shelves. The police have been called but any arrests are likely to be seriously delayed by the demonstrator’s chains and equipment. Following the sacking of chairman Sir Peter Davis, Sainsbury now has to face questions about justice - not only profits.

NOTES TO EDITORS

1.GM fed milk is currently unlabelled. The effects of GM on both cattle, and the people who then eat products from them, have never been tested by independent scientists.

2.Prof. Bob Orskov OBE, director of the International Feed Resource Unit in Aberdeen has said “As a scientist, I wouldn’t drink milk from cows fed GM with the current state of knowledge”.

3.In the face of public concern Sainsbury’s pledged to phase out the use of GM in animal feed three years ago, but are now claiming they cannot for economic reasons.

4.The blockade is supported by a coalition of environmental and farmers groups for more information see  http://www.geneticsaction.org.uk/resources/alliancesainsburys.pdf

5.The 5 depots blockaded cover around 70% of Sainsbury’s fresh food distribution network in the UK.

Animal feed

Comments

Hide the following 10 comments

Liverpool blockade ended 03:30 - no arrests

02.07.2004 02:45

The blockade in Liverpool ended at about 3:30 in the morning after closing Sainsbury's Haydock distribution depot for four hours.

There were no arrests, and the blockade ended according to plan.

watcher


London Blockade Ended at 0300hrs . 8 arrested

02.07.2004 04:20

The London depot was successfully closed for over 3 hours and ended with 8 arrests.

Full report to follow.

Sophie


South Yorkshire blockade ended 4:57 am

02.07.2004 04:59

no arrests, equipment saved, three oranges down.

rhubarb


Bristol Blockade ended at 5:30 am

02.07.2004 06:24

No arrests and equipment saved. Sucessfully blockaded for 6.5 hours.

dee lock


Nice action............

02.07.2004 10:29

Well done to all those involved!

East midlands Sainsbury's looking low on milk @ 11am on a friday.

leaflets distributed in the emptying shelves, more to be dropped off later ;-)

brilliant timing

 http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/3856725.stm

and very well covered up (apart from this report?)

 http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/nottinghamshire/3859607.stm

Hopefully the co-op will sell every last drop of its milk today!


Sainsbury now to be bought out?

 http://quote.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=10000085&sid=abPgELWWBN7M&refer=europe

By this bunch of muppets?

 http://www.kkr.com/about/who_we_are.html


hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

silent bob


Media blackout

02.07.2004 11:17

The lack of media coverage on this isn't surprising, I suppose, but deeply irritating nonetheless! I suppose no-one wants to admit how easy it is to disrupt most of the UK's
food supply - god forbid, people might start arguing against supermarkets...

Matt

Matt S


Birmingham Depot Blockade

02.07.2004 12:15

Birmingham blockade arrived at 11pm Thursday to find cops everywhere, we regrouped and changed plan slightly and blockaded the depot from 1-30 am till 7am. 12 arrests in total.

moo cow


Congratulations!

02.07.2004 14:05

This was really a stunning action-- coordinated across the country with such efficiency! Congratulations to the planners and executors. Do bear in mind that the men in London who wargame 'national emergency' situations will take a great deal of interest in how you pulled this off. Be prepared to be watched and inspected... remember lowtech communication, ie no computers and telephones, is the only secure means

Peter Piper


Press picking up

02.07.2004 14:33

From PA (Press Association) wire

nb. theres also been lots of local radio pickup - eg local warwickshire/coventry radio.. ;-)

Fri 2 Jul 2004

2:52pm (UK)
Twenty Arrested in Protests at Sainsbury's Depots

By Graham Hiscott, Consumer Affairs Correspondent, PA News


Twenty protesters were arrested following demonstrations outside distribution depots belonging to supermarket chain Sainsbury’s early today.

Essex police said eight people were arrested for a range of offences including aggravated trespass, obstruction of the highway and criminal damage outside a depot in Waltham Abbey.

Police in Warwickshire confirmed a further 12 protesters were arrested near a Sainsbury’s plant in Coleshill.

The demonstration was staged to highlight the alleged continued use by Sainsbury’s of imported GM animal feed for its dairy products.

Protest leaders said at least 100 people chained themselves together and erected steel tripod structures outside five depots from late last night until this morning in order to disrupt deliveries.

They said protests took place in Coleshill and Waltham Abbey, plus Emerson’s Green, Bristol; St Helens, Merseyside; and Rotherham, South Yorkshire.

The campaign was co-ordinated by a coalition of groups including Farmers for Action, Genetic Food Alert, and the Small Farms Association.

Sainsbury’s said in a statement: “Our milk does not contain GM ingredients.

“Milk is highly regulated and like all supermarkets, we are subject to stringent food safety controls.

“Our milk is sourced from British dairy farms that supply other UK supermarkets, like Tesco and Asda – as well as hotels, schools and hospitals.

“The Food Standards Agency has categorically stated that there is no evidence that milk from animals fed on GM crops contains any GM material.

“To offer choice to our customers, we have launched a new milk from cows fed on non-GM feed which is now in over 100 stores.”

don't hate the media eat the media


mass media coverage

02.07.2004 14:44

Just found that the Edinburgh Evening News published an article about the actions:

 http://news.scotsman.com/latest.cfm?id=3155367

and BBC Radio 2 covered it last night.

fredrico
mail e-mail: musteatvegan@yahoo.co.uk