Sneaky GM crops

2 messages

Originally from: Joyce

Soon a small technical committee of the European Union (The Standing Committee on Seeds) will be asked to approve a dirty little standard allowing extensive contamination of European farmland with genetically engineered (GE) plants. The proposed directive on GE seed contamination permits "thresholds" of GE contamination in bags of ordinary seeds :

In a bag of beet, cotton or maize seed, one in every 200 seeds could be genetically engineered without informing the farmer.
(0.5%)

In a bag of rapeseed, about one in 330 seeds could be secretly contaminated. (0.3%)

In a bag of soy seeds, more than one in every 150 could be contaminated. (0.7%)

You can help by writing to UK Environment, Food & Rural Affairs Minister Michael Meacher from here:

http://act.greenpeace.org/ams/e?a=seeds&s=blue2

You can also warn your friends and colleagues about this new threat by sending them this e-card, designed by a Greenpeace cyberactivist and the winning entry of our "Seeds of Trouble" competition:

http://act.greenpeace.org/ecs/s2?i=416&sk=std

You can send up to six e-cards at once, and we encourage you to spread the word far and wide.

Please act soon as we expect that the crucial committee meeting will take place within two weeks.

VISIT THE CYBERCENTRE

Please don't forget to visit the Greenpeace Cyberactivist Community at:
http://act.greenpeace.org

Originally from: frances fish

How typical is it that the Scottish Executive have followed, as the tail does the dog, Westminster, in stating that its O.K. to plant GM maize (but they had rather farmers didn't)What they are saying is that they have a view at variance with the Government but that they do not have a choice in the path that they tread. Sad, but true. How many times have defiant statements been issued from North of the border only to be rescinded within a day and ammended to Westminsters tune. He who pays the piper most definitely chooses the desert island discs (if you take my meaning ?)It will be interesting to see how the Welsh deal with this, they are certainly sounding more bullish but do they have the b--ls ? If the threat of withholding funds is used, and it most certainly will be, what REAL choice do they have ? Frances