23 March 2005
For more information call 07746411539

Farmers and customers blockaded Sainsbury's with their generosity at 8:30 am this morning, when a tipper truck delivered a large mound of non-GM animal feed to the front of the supermarkets HQ at 33 Holborn, London EC1N 2HT.

People from the Fair Price for GM Free Milk Coalition also chained themselves to the adjacent rotating doors stopping access to the offices, in protest at Sainsbury's use of GM crops, which are fed to the cattle that produce the stores dairy products.

John Clark from the Small Farms Association explained;

"Sainsbury's suppliers now pay farmers less for their feed than it costs to produce. We want to avoid GM crops, but the poor payment we currently receive forces many of us to keep using the fractionally cheaper GM contaminated imports. The public and farmers are united on this- GM is bad news, so when are Sainsbury's going to keep their 4 year old promise and help us get rid of it?"

The protest continues.

Notes for Editors;

1. The Fair Price for GM Free Milk Coalition is made up of a variety of organisations including The Farmers Union of Wales, the Small and Family Farms Alliance, The Small Farms Association, Farmers for Action, FARM, the Wholesome Food Association, the Institute of Science in Society, Genetic Food Alert and the Genetic Engineering Network.
2. Sainsbury's maintains that it's GM fed milk is safe, yet no insurance firm will cover any risks associated with it, either to cattle or those who then consume their milk.
3. Sainsbury's claim they can only do a limited more expensive range of non-GM-fed milk because it's logistically difficult to keep their commitment to supply non- GM as standard. Yet both the Co-op and Marks and Spencer already supply non-GM as standard.