Archived press release

Tractors and Trolleys Line Up for GM Protest

7 October 2003

International campaigner Vandana Shiva and former UK Environment Minister Michael Meacher will join GM pilgrims, farmers and members of the public from around the country at a parade and rally in London on Monday 13^th October to demonstrate their opposition to GM crops and food. The parade takes place just days before publication of the crucial Government report on the results of the GM field scale trials [1].

Five tractors will head up the parade of decorated trolleys, showing farmers and consumers uniting to demonstrate their resistance to the commercialisation of GM crops. The parade will travel through central London, visiting the headquarters of the NFU, 10 Downing Street and the Department of the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) [2], where they will hand in messages opposing GM.

The event, jointly organised by Friends of the Earth, GM-free Cymru, Genetic Engineering Network and the Five Year Freeze [3], is the culmination of a number of pilgrimages for a GM-free Britain by around 20 individuals who are traveling on foot, by bike or by tractor to London from across the country, some covering distances of more than 600 miles [4].

Martin Haggerty, a writer and researcher from Scarborough, set off from North Yorkshire on foot in September. He will join the parade having walked more than 200 miles, visiting GM crops sites and biotech firms en route.

Friends of the Earth campaigner Mike Birkin is cycling to the parade from Land's End, carrying messages of support from other GM campaigners in the south west.

Organic farm worker Jonny Barton is cycling to London from Inverness, towing a coffin, to represent the grave threat to the organic food industry posed by GM. And Steve Paget, from Invergordon in Scotland is also cycling to London, visiting GM sites, organic farms and wholefood shops on the way.

Friends of the Earth GM campaigner Clare Oxborrow said:

"This event is a celebration of this year's GM-free harvest festival, but it will sound a warning to the Government over any plans to allow genetically modified crops to be grown in the UK. The British public has made its views very clear - they do not want GM food and they do not want GM crops threatening their food, farming and environment. Tony Blair must now listen and refuse to allow GM crops to be grown in the UK. This must not be the last GM-free harvest."

Gerald Miles, farmer and pilgrim, 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."

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

Notes

[1] The results of the Field Scale Trials are due to be published by the Royal Society on Thursday 16th October

[2] The route will travel from Bedford Square, WC1 (11.30am) via the NFU, Shaftesbury Avenue (Presentation at 11.45am), to Trafalgar Square, Whitehall, and Downing Street (presentation at 12.30pm) to Parliament Square, Great Peter Street and Smith Square and DEFRA (presentation at 1.15pm). The Rally will take place at the Emmanuel Centre, Marsham Street at 2pm.

[3] See www.tractorandtrolley.com

[4] For more details on the pilgrims, contact the press office at Friends of the Earth

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