Labour Must Come Clean On GE Plans After Europe Warns Of Destruction Of Organics
There is suspicion that US lobbying, support for farm subsidies and financing of PR to promote GE, may be linked to
Labours support for GE releases. Labour seem to be refusing to listen to evidence from European and Mexican governments
as to what is happening in the field.
" We want Labour to come clean on its policy. Will it protect consumer choice by requiring full labelling? Will it
protect choice by preventing the spread of GE contamination to all food- conventional and organic? If government accepts
1% GE contamination there will be no choice. The evidence for any GE release is that it will spread as the Europeans are
warning."said Jon Carapiet for GE Free NZ in Food and Environment.
" Labour say we have GE food already and that it is labelled. This is not true for many oils or food sold at
restaurants, and labelling is already thereatened by possible US trade sanctions on Europe."
" It is not the Green Party ads that are misleading, but the Labour party policy that is likely to mislead. Labour is in
disrray on this issue. Wa are hearing a lot of noise about the many Labour Party members who support a GE-Free policy to
keep it in the lab. Helen Clark should heed them," said Mr Carapiet.
ENDS
Background articles
GM 'could kill off' organic farms Gaby Hinsliff, chief political correspondent The Observer, Sunday May 26, 2002 Organic
farming in Britain could be doomed if the Government approves the cultivation of genetically modified crops, according
to a European Union report warning that it is 'virtually impossible' to stop cross-contamination. Ministers are
considering plans to declare swaths of countryside 'GM free' - reserving other regions for the controversial crops. The
move is likely to divide farmers and trigger local resistance aimed at safeguarding non-GM food. 'Consumers want to know
what they are getting,' said Adrian Bebb, of Friends of the Earth. 'The Americans are upset because they have gone big
time into growing GM maize and they didn't look to see if they had a market - and it turns out they don't.' The
labelling row will only increase fears over the threatened move towards full commercial farming of GM crops in Britain
when current experiments finish in 2003.
GM threat to organic farming By Geoffrey Lean, Environment Editor The Independent on Sunday, 26 May 2002 Organic
farming will be forced out of production in Britain and across Europe if GM crops are grown commercially, a startling
new EU report concludes.