Archived press release

Local campaigners call for gm-free britain election pledge

12 April 2003

Scores of community groups around the country will be calling on their local authority to become GM Free on Saturday 12th April as local councilors gear up for the May elections. GM food and crops remain a key environmental and consumer issue for the public.

Local authorities are being asked to pledge not to use GM food in schools and to make a formal submission to the Government and the European Commission to prevent GM crops being grown in their area.

As part of Friends of the Earth's GM Free Britain Campaign some 80 groups will build giant GM-Free collages symbolising local concern over GM which they will present them to their local councils, urging them to go GM-free [1]. They will also be calling on local election candidates and councilors to show their support for going GM-free. Councils need to act now before the Government and the European Commission decide later this year whether to allow the widespread growing of GM crops across Europe. If given the go-ahead, GM crops risk contaminating the local environment, food, farmland and wildlife and threaten the viability of growing organic food.

A growing number of councils are already taking action. Cornwall County Council, South Gloucestershire Council, South Hams District Council and Norton Radstock and Bridport Town Councils have already voted to become GM-free areas, creating a GM-free band in the south west of England. Devon and Lancashire County Councils have also taken steps towards going GM-free.

Friends of the Earth is launching an interactive website at www.gmfreebritain.com to coincide with the day of action, giving the public the chance to email their local council and ask them to go GM-free.

Friends of the Earth GM Campaigner Clare Oxborrow said:

"It really is now or never if we are going to stop the introduction of GM crops in this country. And it is now or never for candidates in the local elections. They have a chance to show they support the GM-free Britain campaign by pledging to push their own council to go GM-free, as a growing number of councils have already done. The more local councils declare themselves GM-free the stronger the signal to the Government that people don't want GM crops grown in their areas, threatening their local food, organic farming and the environment.

If you're a journalist looking for press information please contact the Friends of the Earth media team on 020 7566 1649.

Published by Friends of the Earth Trust