New campaign launched to protect food and farming: GM Free Europe

22.4.2004
Brusel [Friends of the Earth Europe], tel: + 31 (0)6 290 05 908

Europe's largest grassroots environmental network has today, on "Earth Day" [1] launched a new
campaign to demand better legal protection for areas wanting to ban genetically modified (GM) crops.
Friends of the Earth Europe highlight that initiatives to ban GM crops are now running in at least 22 different European countries.

The campaign will increase pressure on the European Commission, who in
January admitted that it would "be difficult to reject these attempts at
establishing GM-free zones, which are driven by strong public local
concern and economic considerations (such as protection of local
traditional agriculture)". [2]

Friends of the Earth Europe have launched a new website -
www.gmofree-europe.org - to highlight the different initiatives from
regions representing tens of millions of people who do not want GM
Organisms (GMOs) in food and agriculture.

Actions taken so far range from regions introducing local laws to ban
cultivation, to public authorities lobbying both Europe and national
Governments for legal protection.

The number of regions in the European Union (EU) that want to ban the
growing of GM crops is continuously growing. Initiatives have started in
at least 22 European countries. In France over 1000 town mayors support GM
free zones and in the UK over 44 regions have called for special
protection in their areas. More than 500 cities in Italy have also taken a
position against the use of GMOs in agriculture.

Friends of the Earth Europe's GMO Coordinator Geert Ritsema said:

" Local people, politicians and businesses are demanding the right to stay
GM free. This is the beginning of an unstoppable movement that Governments
and European Institutions would be stupid to ignore. The public says no to
GM foods and the only way to prevent the contamination of both our crops
and countryside is to ban the cultivation of GM seeds."

New food labelling laws giving consumers better information about
ingredients originating from GM crops came into force on April 18th.

The new European laws, first agreed in July 2003, state that:

- GM foods must be fully traceable from farm to consumer, and even foods
that no longer contain genetic material derived from GM crops have to be
labelled as GM if they derive from GM crops. In practice this means that
on top of the foods which already had to be labelled as GM (such as sweet
corn) important new food products (such as vegetable oil and sugars) now
have to be labelled.

- GM animal feed now have to be labelled and be traceable.

- Food products with a GM content over 0.9% need to be labelled as
follows: “This product contains genetically modified organisms.”

- Food products with a GM content lower than 0.9% do not need to be
labelled if the food company can prove that the GM contamination is
accidental or “technically unavoidable”

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT IN BRUSSELS

Geert Ritsema, Friends of the Earth Europe - mobile + 31 (0)6 290 05 908
Adrian Bebb, Friends of the Earth Europe - mobile + 49 (0)1609 490 1163

NOTES TO EDITORS

[1] Background info on Earth Day is available for instance at
http://earthday.envirolink.org/history.html

[2] European Commission press release, 28 January 2004, GMOs: Commission
takes stock of progress

FACT SHEET GM-FREE EUROPE April 2004

The number of regions in the European Union (EU) that want to ban the
growing of GM crops is continuously growing. Initiatives have started in
at least 22 European countries. This is summary of some of the most
visible initiatives. For more information please go to
www.gmofree-europe.org

Austria
Eight out of the nine Austrian provinces have now indicated that they want
to go GMO-free. Over 100 municipalities have also signed a GMO-free
resolution. The region of Upper Austria has passed a law making it a
GMO-free zone. Five other provincial parliaments (Salzburg, Tirol,
Burgenland, Steirmark and Lower Austria) have also demanded their
governments to declare their province GMO-free.

Belgium
39 communities in the Flemish and 81 communities in the French speaking
part of Belgium have declared themselves GMO-free.

France
In France more than one thousand majors have issued declarations of
GMO-free status of their municipality. At a regional level, three
regions have issued GM-free: Alpes de Haute Provence, Aquitaine and
Limousin.

Greece
Currently 40 out of the 54 Greek prefectures have voted to declare their
area GMO-free and nine more are in the process of doing so. The prefecture
of Rhodope and the Drama Kavala - Xanthi County have joined the European
Network of GM-Free regions.

Italy
More than 500 cities in Italy have taken a position against the use of
GMOs in agriculture. The combined area of those communities that have
already signed a resolution against GMOs and those that recently have
indicated to ban GMOs means that nearly 80% of Italy's territory is
declared GMO-free.

Slovenia
The Bio-region ALPE ADRIA, covers the whole area of Slovenia, the
Austrian provinces of Carinthia and Styria and the Italian provinces of
Friuli-Venezia Giulia and Veneto. In June 2003, a joint GMO-free statement
was signed by the presidents of organic farmers associations from these
five Alpine regions.

UK
So far 44 areas (this includes:12 County councils, 9 Unitary authorities, 2 Metropolitan districts, 1 London Borough, 13 District councils, 2 National Parks Authorities, 5 Town/Parish councils) in England
and 35 councils in Wales have approved a GMO-free resolution, bringing the total UK population living in areas with a GMO-free policy to 14 million.

Friends of the Earth Europe
Rue Blanche 29 | B-1060 Brussels | Belgium
Telephone +32 2 542 01 80 | Fax +32 2 537 55 96
info@foeeurope.org www.foeeurope.org

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Friends of the Earth International
(FoEI) is the world's largest grassroots environmental federation with 68
national member groups in as many countries and more than one million
individual members.

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