Anti-GM convoy heads to London

News Release Contact: 07956 334831 22nd July 2002

DEVON ANTI-GM CONVOY
TAKES MESSAGES TO DEFRA

People from Totnes and other parts of Devon have headed off in convoy to arrive in London July 24th. On route they will be joining up with other concerned citizens from all over the country and converging at Westminster to voice a strong message of resistance to the commercialisation of GM crops.

"We believe that GM crops will not be of economic, health or environmental benefit, nor will they feed the developing world. The current GM trials, which are almost complete, have been contaminating the environment for over three years and are widely recognised as fraudulent. The trials are using a herbicide regime that farmers would not be using in commercial situations1 and the environmental impact on birds, amphibians and soil bacteria is not being assessed.", said William Posters, one of the protestors.

The government is promising a public debate on whether GM crops should be grown commercially - but one of their own ministers has told the press that the debate is a farce and that the decision has already been made to promote GM crops. Recent leaked government memos revealed their plans to change the law in order to remove the public's right to raise objections to the commercialisation of GM2. Then there was the expose of Blair's science minister (Lord Sainsbury) and his massive vested interest in the biotech industry3. With the minister responsible for regulating the biotech industry having made nearly £20m on GM food shares and having donated at least £9m to the Labour Party, there is a clear conflict of interest.

William Posters, heading to Wednesdays demo said, "Having spent £5m on pointless trials on behalf of multinational agri-chemical companies such as Aventis, the Government is about to waste yet more public money on a 'consultation' exercise which promises to be nothing more than a veiled attempt to persuade the public that what's good for the biotech industry is good for us all - the government is running a public relations campaign for big business at the taxpayer's expense. They are not really interested in listening to public opinion - they seek to silence criticism of GM and manufacture the illusion of public consent. "

Amongst the group from Totnes is Liz Snook, one of the two people arrested in 1998 for destroying the GM test site next to Riverford Organic Farm, a story which inspired a storyline in Radio 4's The Archers. The legal case against the Totnes Two was dropped when the government decided it would be against the public interest to proceed with the prosecution. Since then, no jury in England has convicted anyone charged with damaging a GM crop.

Wednesdays demonstration, billed as an opportunity to 'deliver your message to DEFRA', also represents a celebration of more than five years of resistance to GM crops in the UK. Liz, who is open about her role in decontaminating GM trial sites, will be delivering a message to DEFRA in the form of bags of GM plants and seeds from two farm-scale trials in the South West.

Liz Snook said, "GM is as dangerous today as it was four years ago, when the people of Totnes cleaned up the local trial of Chardon LL maize. Since then no farmers have planted GM crops in Devon, yet the Government is threatening to commercialise the same variety, which would endanger the area's agricultural integrity and it's ecology. In the light of mounting evidence against GM it is time for all those who have been busy in the fields to celebrate their work and make it clear that we are not about to let corporations take control of our food and our landscape”.

Part of ‘Deliver your message to DEFRA' day ( www.messages.to/defra )
National contacts... 0207 272 1586 or 01273 628441

References: 1 - London Times, 26 June 2002 2 - Independent on Sunday, 19 May 2002 3 - Mail on Sunday, 26th May 2002
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Notes to Editors
* Hi res digital photos of the Totnes send off are available from 07956 334831, or from www.togg.org.uk/media
* Another convoy left Monlochy, Scotland on Monday and will arrive in London for wednesday. With the Scotish
convoy is Donnie MacLeod, who was sentenced to 21 days in prison in relation to damage to a GM crop trial.
Contact the Scotish convoy on 07747 896878 or 0781 330 7337