Archived press release

Pilgrimage for a GM-free Britain

25 September 2003

Opponents of GM crops will take to the road over the coming few weeks as some 20 individuals from around the country embark on a journey to London as part of pilgrimage to a GM-free Britain. Campaigners from around the country will journey by foot, bicycle and tractor to the capital where they will join together with hundreds of people in a Tractors and Trolleys Parade on Monday 13^th October to demonstrate their opposition to GM crops and food.

The GM-free Britain pilgrimage follows the publication of the results of the Government's GM Nation debate, released yesterday, which showed high levels of opposition to GM crops and food among the general public. The Government, under pressure from the United States and from the biotech industry, must soon decide on the future commercialisation of GM crops in the UK.

The event, organised by Friends of the Earth, the Five Year Freeze, GM-free Cymru and Genetic Engineering Network will highlight opposition to the activities of the biotech industry, and support for sustainable alternatives to GM crops and industrial agriculture. The journeys will take in significant locations en route including GM crop test sites, biotech company offices, organic farms and local farmers markets, and will be supported by local activities and send-off actions. [2]

Travelling alone or in groups, the campaigners for a GM-free Britain, are all undertaking the journey to illustrate their deep opposition to the introduction of GM crops in our countryside and in our food. They include:

• Two cyclists travelling from north east Scotland, one towing a coffin representing the death of organic agriculture;

• A organic farmer travelling from Pembrokeshire by tractor, accompanied by a piano-playing artist singing GM-free opera;

• A tractor towing a GM-free carnival float travelling from Coventry

• A founder member of Scarborough Against Genetic Engineering (SAGE) travelling on foot from North Yorkshire to London

Organic farmer and GM-free Cymru member Gerald Miles, who is travelling from Pembrokeshire by tractor, said:

"As a farmer I am concerned that no-one knows the impact of GM on our health or the environment. I believe planting GM crops on a commercial scale is not a risk we should be taking especially as consumer demand for non-GM food is overwhelming. GM crops, whether planted commercially or as trials, will inevitably contaminate both non-GM and organic crops.

"If the Government does go ahead with the commercialisation of GM, it will put our seed purchases and chemicals under corporate control and it will be another nail in the farming coffin. I am planning to drive my tractor all the way from Pembrokeshire to London to join the Tractors and Trolleys Parade to draw attention to our concerns".

Friends of the Earth regional campaigner Mike Birkin, who is cycling from Land's End, said:

"I want to express the wishes of a diversity of people who want to produce and consume food with respect for nature and ethics. This choice could be denied us because of the machinations of a handful of very unscrupulous, very rich corporations and a prime minister who appears unwilling to listen."

Rowan Tilly from Brighton, who is travelling to London from Herefordshire, said:

"I am bound on a pilgrimage to a GM free Britain. A journey to bear witness to the land that has already been contaminated by crops, engineered out of greed and delusion. A journey to celebrate the communities of resistance that have sprung up in response, wherever GM crops have been planted."

Notes

[1] For more information go to www.tractorandtrolley.com

[2] Pilgrims' itineraries and biographies are available from the press office at Friends of the Earth on 020 7566 1649

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