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Greenpeace hits Aussie poultry co across Tasman
GREENPEACE PRESS RELEASE
Greenpeace hits Aussie poultry co across Tasman
Auckland, Friday October 10, 2003: A Nelson woman was among 60 Greenpeace activists who shut down Inghams main feed silo in Newcastle Australia today. Nelson activist, Kaz Riley is dressed in a chicken suit, locked onto the front gate preventing distribution of Inghams genetically engineered (GE) poultry feed. The action in Australia is an escalation of the campaign against Inghams already running in New Zealand.
Greenpeace want the poultry and feed company to stop importing GE soy for animal feed.
Activists dressed in chicken suits blocked Inghams main feed silo, holding flags saying “Feed me GM-free”. A banner has been unfurled on the silo reading, “INGHAM – putting GM in chicken.”
In September, Greenpeace New Zealand activists shut down the Inghams/Harvey Farms feed mill in Hamilton, demanding that the Aussie-owned poultry and feed company stop importing GE soy for animal feed.
Inghams soy is the single biggest source of GE contamination in both the Australian and New Zealand food chain.
“Greenpeace is taking this action on behalf of the majority of Australian and New Zealand consumers who don’t want genetically engineered crops anywhere in the food chain,” said GE Campaigner John Hepburn. “This concern is justified because there has been no long-term testing of the impact of GE food on people, animals or the environment. Consumers are taking part in a genetic engineering experiment against their wishes.”
There has been overwhelming public rejection of chicken fed GE feed in both New Zealand and Australia. (1)
Laboratory testing of Inghams chicken feed imported into Australia has found that 70% of the soy used is Monsanto’s “Roundup Ready” genetically engineered soy, most likely imported from the USA. Greenpeace has identified over 300,000 tonnes of GE soy being imported into Australia each year.
Greenpeace is conducting a similar activity at the Inghams silo in Berrima, and a delegation has taken the message to Inghams corporate headquarters in Liverpool. The Liverpool delegation, led by Greenpeace Australia/Pacific CEO Peter Mullins, includes friendly chicken-suited activists who are engaging with Inghams employees and shoppers in the area.
“As Australia’s leading chicken producer, Inghams needs to follow the lead of the dairy industry and publicly committ to using non-GE soy to feed their stock,” said Hepburn. “GE free soy is readily available on world markets and making the change would cost less than 1 cent per chicken – it ’s chicken-feed!”
Contacts:
To talk to Nelson Activist Kaz Riley – contact Carolin Wenzel to set up interview. Newcastle - Media Officer Carolin Wenzel 0061 417 668 957 Campaigner John Hepburn 0061 407 231 172 Liverpool Media Officer Ellen Stuebe 0061 418 408 683 Campaigner Tina Meckel 0061 418 650 995
New Zealand Campaigner Steve Abel 021-565-175 Images: Michelle Thomas 0061 407 096 332 or (0061 2) 9263 0350 For photos and video footageMichelle.Thomas@au.greenpeace.org
High resolution images will be available for download at: http://www.greenpeace.org.nz/press/photodesk.asp
(1) Market research commissioned by Greenpeace Australia/Pacific found that: · 61% of consumers don’t want to eat foods from animals fed genetically modifieded feed · 92% of consumers want these products labelled [Taylor Nelson Sofres, April 2002] Independent research done for Tegel New Zealand found that 75% of consumers wanted chickens that had not been fed GE soy meal, NZ Herald, 29 August 2001.
Greenpeace
Greenpeace exists because this fragile earth deserves a voice.
Greenpeace is an independent global campaigning organisation that acts to change attitudes and behaviour, to protect and conserve the environment and to promote peace.
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