Having had imported wild bird seed containing oilseed rape which germinated in cracks in our concrete yard, I discovered that it and the kibbled maize seed had been imported. there is therefore a chance that, if it is GM it is being spread throughout the UK.
I planted some of each species in my green house. Even the kibbled maize germinated. But after a few weeks turned completely white and wooly overnight and was attacked by a very virulent fungus. The rape seed has produced grown plants now in flower. I wanted to get them tested for GM presence and that is where the circular phone journey started..
Trading Standards said they would buy some and get it tested. They later said that they had no means of testing it. Similar answers were obtained from Food Stds. Agency and ACAF their animl feed division, also DEFRA, FSA told me to contact Trading Stds so I went the full govt. circle and non could get it tested.
Last week BBC announced the imposition of the EU directive making labelling of all GM seeds and food , both animal and human and imported, compulsory. One interviewee asked who was going to test it and the announcer replied' Trading Stds'. I phoned Trading Stds again and they said that that was the first they had heard about it.
I then rang GM sections of DEFRA and got their person in charge. She informed me that every local authority would have the address of a laboratory that they could use for testing. I hav e written to the chairman of our county council to enquire if they have the address of a laboratory and await their reply.
I then phoned the Plant health section of the Welsh Assembly and had a discussion with the person in charge of the office. He informed me that Wales had not yet imposed the labelling directive as they wanted to hold a consultation meeting.
They have had previous consultation meetings so why want another one? I expressed my concern that a recent letter I received from the Minister of Environment's office informed me that it was illegal for Wales to declare its territory GM free unless they had been granted permission to make that declaration from the EU. If EU governs UK and the Assembly why have the Welsh Asembly ignored the order to bring in GM labelling on April 18th? I brought up the issue of testing and he told me that I should contact The Central Science laboratory in York as that was the government laboratory involved. A break through at last!
I rang that lab and spoke to one of their scientists . They could test the seeds from my plants for £250. Amazingly I am paying taxes to govt. to finance that lab and still have to pay again to get any work done for me to help the population of this country.. I asaked why 0.9 % presence in unlablelled food, which would indicate that it was GM free, was allowed to contain up to 0.9% GM when the consumer bought it on the grounds that it was not GM. Why was it not set at a much lower level?. He admitted that analysis standards did not yet enable them to accurately tetect presence of lower levels of GM and testing is very costly. In seeds the permitted GM level is 0.5% before it is labelled as GM.
The whole set up is a serious example of sloppy, ignorant government who are hand in glove with large multiantional biotech companies. this is based on financial interst and not acceptabale standards of sound science. It is thoroughly corrupt. Our helth could be affected by the unacceptabale standards being adopte in our food
J. MacDonald BSc , Farming and LivestockConcern and Carmarthen Gene Concern
A geneticist at a university told me that he could not test it as it cost £600 for the equipment alone to test for GM presence.
If this is the situation it is totally unacceptable and GM crops anda food should not be allowed until any presence of GM can be detected.
The labelling laws deceive the buyer of seeds and foods just like every other section of this technology has proved crooked.
Arpad Pusztai who found detrimental effects in feeding GM potatoes to rats was victimised by politicians and the Royal science society. His life was made hell. He has now been proved right.
I have contacted the press regarding this situation and lack of availabel accurate testing and hope that they will publish it and make it known throughout the country. I am also in contact with the head of one of the EU Commission DGS.
I intend to bring this issue up at the meeting with MPs and independent scientists in the House of Commons on the 29th."
Indycymru Note: Malignant Importers and Corrupt Politicians? or is it pure incompetence? What must be the penalities for incompetence? What penalties will the importers face if it is GM? Will their insurers cover eradication nationwide?
Trading Standards said they would buy some and get it tested. They later said that they had no means of testing it. Similar answers were obtained from Food Stds. Agency and ACAF their animl feed division, also DEFRA, FSA told me to contact Trading Stds so I went the full govt. circle and non could get it tested.
Last week BBC announced the imposition of the EU directive making labelling of all GM seeds and food , both animal and human and imported, compulsory. One interviewee asked who was going to test it and the announcer replied' Trading Stds'. I phoned Trading Stds again and they said that that was the first they had heard about it.
I then rang GM sections of DEFRA and got their person in charge. She informed me that every local authority would have the address of a laboratory that they could use for testing. I hav e written to the chairman of our county council to enquire if they have the address of a laboratory and await their reply.
I then phoned the Plant health section of the Welsh Assembly and had a discussion with the person in charge of the office. He informed me that Wales had not yet imposed the labelling directive as they wanted to hold a consultation meeting.
They have had previous consultation meetings so why want another one? I expressed my concern that a recent letter I received from the Minister of Environment's office informed me that it was illegal for Wales to declare its territory GM free unless they had been granted permission to make that declaration from the EU. If EU governs UK and the Assembly why have the Welsh Asembly ignored the order to bring in GM labelling on April 18th? I brought up the issue of testing and he told me that I should contact The Central Science laboratory in York as that was the government laboratory involved. A break through at last!
I rang that lab and spoke to one of their scientists . They could test the seeds from my plants for £250. Amazingly I am paying taxes to govt. to finance that lab and still have to pay again to get any work done for me to help the population of this country.. I asaked why 0.9 % presence in unlablelled food, which would indicate that it was GM free, was allowed to contain up to 0.9% GM when the consumer bought it on the grounds that it was not GM. Why was it not set at a much lower level?. He admitted that analysis standards did not yet enable them to accurately tetect presence of lower levels of GM and testing is very costly. In seeds the permitted GM level is 0.5% before it is labelled as GM.
The whole set up is a serious example of sloppy, ignorant government who are hand in glove with large multiantional biotech companies. this is based on financial interst and not acceptabale standards of sound science. It is thoroughly corrupt. Our helth could be affected by the unacceptabale standards being adopte in our food
J. MacDonald BSc , Farming and LivestockConcern and Carmarthen Gene Concern
A geneticist at a university told me that he could not test it as it cost £600 for the equipment alone to test for GM presence.
If this is the situation it is totally unacceptable and GM crops anda food should not be allowed until any presence of GM can be detected.
The labelling laws deceive the buyer of seeds and foods just like every other section of this technology has proved crooked.
Arpad Pusztai who found detrimental effects in feeding GM potatoes to rats was victimised by politicians and the Royal science society. His life was made hell. He has now been proved right.
I have contacted the press regarding this situation and lack of availabel accurate testing and hope that they will publish it and make it known throughout the country. I am also in contact with the head of one of the EU Commission DGS.
I intend to bring this issue up at the meeting with MPs and independent scientists in the House of Commons on the 29th."
Indycymru Note: Malignant Importers and Corrupt Politicians? or is it pure incompetence? What must be the penalities for incompetence? What penalties will the importers face if it is GM? Will their insurers cover eradication nationwide?
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