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GM "PUBLIC DEBATE" COMES TO SWANSEA

The UK Government confirmed today that its national debate on genetically modified (GM) crops and foods will go ahead next month. It said it will "take account of the outcome from the public debate when making future policy decisions on GM issues".

The Government will shortly decide whether or not to allow GM crops to be commercially grown in the UK. This decision will be made jointly by the four UK Authorities including the National Assembly for Wales. Friends of the Earth Cymru has called on new Welsh Agriculture Minister Carwyn Jones to listen to the public on this issue and refuse to give GM crops the commercial green light if that is what people want.

Friends of the Earth Cymru has joined with the Farmers' Union of Wales, the National Federation of Women's Institutes Wales and campaign group GM Free Cymru to call for the Assembly to take action to keep Wales GM Free [1].

Opposition to GM crops remains strong:

• Last month a MORI poll found that more than half (53%) of those questioned in Wales said they were against GM products. Only one in seven (14%) supported them.

• The Welsh Assembly has passed tough policies restricting the growth of experimental GM crops and has taken action to set legally binding separation distances between GM and non-GM crops in Wales. Rhodri Morgan has declared that it is Assembly Government policy that Wales should be GM Free [see 1].

• A number of local authorities in England including Devon, Dorset, Lancashire, Cornwall and South Gloucestershire have taken action to go GM-free. This includes taking steps to stop farm tenants growing GM crops, and banning GM food from local food services such as school meals and residential homes. A number of authorities have also pledged to write to the Government and Brussels applying, under new European laws, to be excluded from growing certain GM crops.

The actions result from Friends of the Earth Cymru's GM Free Wales campaign launched in 1999 [2] and Friends of the Earth's GM-Free Britain campaign which was launched last year [3].

Friends of the Earth Cymru Director Julian Rosser commented:

"Opinion polls repeatedly show that most people in Wales do not want GM food and crops. The Assembly Government must stand up for the farmers and people of Wales on this issue and tell Tony Blair that we are not willing to accept the commercialisation of GM crops in the UK.

"We are already working hard to promote and inform debate about GM issues in Wales. It is crucial that the Assembly listens more to the people of Wales than to the multinationals who are whispering into Tony Blair's ear. This will be one the key challenges facing the new all-Labour Assembly Government; we hope very much that they will rise to it."

The debate "GM nation" will be built around six regional conferences:

• Birmingham - June 3
• Swansea - June 5
• Taunton - June 7
• Belfast - June 9
• Glasgow - June 11
• Harrogate - June 13

Notes

1. See www.foe.co.uk/resource/briefings/naw_gm_crops.pdf (PDF†)
2. www.foecymru.co.uk
3. www.foe.co.uk/campaigns/real_food/press_for_change/email_la/index.shtml

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