The actions follow a resounding rejection of an attempt by Canada, Australia
and New Zealand (support by the USA) to introduce GM Terminator technology
at last week’s Conference of Parties of the Convention on Biodiversity in
Brazil [1] and a demonstration and conference in Vienna this week [2] to
oppose EC plans to force organic and non-organic farmers to accept a high
levels of GM contamination in their crops. The GM-free Beacons take place
as the USA’s complaint to the WTO over the delays to approving GMOs and
national bans of GM crops in the EU has still to be resolved [3].

Campaigners also have concerns about GM contamination of food and animal
feed imports, Last year the EC was informed by US administration that they
had been exporting an unapproved GM maize called Bt10 into the EU for four
years [4]. The contaminated maize went undetected in cargoes destined for
animal feed for the whole of this period because monitoring was not thorough
enough. Field testing in the USA now includes GM crops modified for
pharmaceuticals which could become contaminants of food and feed in the same
way Bt10 has done.

Over 25 Beacons will light up the skies across Britain on Saturday 8th April
[4]. Campaigners will use the events to celebrate that the UK was GM-free
during 2005 and raise awareness of the need to maintain constant pressure of
the UK government and food industry to keep the UK free of GM crops and
prevent contamination of food, animal feed and seeds in the future.

Commenting for the organisers Gerald Miles of GM-Free Cymru said

“The whole of the UK was free of GM crop test sites in 2005 for the first
time since the early 1990s - thanks to public pressure . We want to keep it
that way. However, GM contaminations can still happen if we import
contaminated seeds, food or feed and that is why we must make sure the EC
allows members states to protect themselves by allowing them to be GM-free.
We also need to ensure that our border controls are tight otherwise we may
find ourselves having to deal with a health threatening and hugely expensive
contamination incident of seeds, food or animal feed. When it comes to GM
contamination, prevention is the only option”.

 

1. The Conference of Parties (COP8) of the Convention on Biodiversity
met in Curitiba Brazil from 20th to 31st March. The meeting agreed to
maintain a global moratorium on the testing and commercialisation of
Terminator technology pending research into the socio-economic impact of the
sterile seed technology around the world. Moves by Australia , New Zealand
and Canada (supported by the UK and USA) to allow countries to carry out
case by case assessments of seed varieties containing the Terminator genes
were rejected by countries right around the world. Opponents of the case by
case approach pointed out that it would miss the cumulative socio-economic
impact of 100s of Terminator seeds coming onto the market over time. 1.4
Billion people depend on farm saved seed for their food security and
livelihoods and these are threatened by Terminator technology.

2. Farmers and consumers will unite at a conference and demonstration
in Vienna on 4th and 5th April respectively to oppose EC moves to force a GM
threshold of 0.9% contamination onto all crops, including organic. The
events precede an EC sponsored conference in the Austrian capital at which
the coexistence of GM and non-GM crops will be debated. The EC position on
the 0.9% contamination threshold first appeared in 2003 in Recommendations
to member states on legislating for coexistence. In December 2005 the EC
issued draft revisions to the EU’s Organic Regulation in which it made it
clear the wish to impose a 0.9% GM threshold on organic producers as well.
At present organic producers are not permitted to use seeds or feed
containing GM.

3. The USA, Argentina and Canada made a complaint in 2003 to the
WTO.concerning the delays EU’s approval process for genetically GM crops for
cultivation and imports and bans on some GM crops in some EU members states,
A complaints panel has heard evidence. An interim judgment was issued to
both sides in February and subsequently leaked to Friends of the Earth
Europe. The report shows that the judgment is mixed and that the US has
failed to win on most of the complaints made(see HYPERLINK
"http://www.foei.org/media/2006/WTO_briefing.pdf"www.foeeurope.org/publicati
ons/2006/WTO_briefing.pdf )

4. For an analysis of the Bt10 contamination see HYPERLINK
"http://www.gmfreeze.org/admin/uploads/report_doc.pdf"http://www.gmfreeze.or
g/admin/uploads/report_doc.pdf

5. UK Beacons

Ceredigion - Clynfyw, Boncath

Pembrokeshire - Mathry , St Davids

Pembrokeshire - Penrhiw, Goodwick

Pembrokeshire - Carn Ingli Newport

Carmarthenshire – Carmarthenshire

Invernesshire – Inverness

Dorset

London

East Sussex- Forest Row

Devon - Shillingford

Devon- Yarner Beacon

Devon- Bideford

Morayshire –Forres

Morayshire Nairn

Gloucestershire – Cirencester

Gloucestertshire -Stroud

Somerset – West Lyng, Taunton

Hertfordshire – Kings Langlet, Hemel Hempsted

Lancashire, Morecombe Bay

Bristol

Lincolnshire – Market Rasen

Flintshire – Sealand

North Yorkshire – Ryedale

Outer Hebrides

Hampshire –Portsmouth

Hampshire –Ringwood

 

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