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.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/gmdebate/Story/0,2763,722463,00.html

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.
http://news.independent.co.uk/world/environment/story.jsp?story=299036

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