Campaigns

Become a Golden Supporter

On Tuesday 9th March 2004 the Government gave its qualified approval to the commercial development of genetically modified (GM) fodder maize, Bayer's Chardon LL, in Britain. It also announced a consultation on GM contamination and liability

In April 2004, Biotech firm Bayer announced it had shelved plans to commercialise its GM fodder maize, Chardon LL, in this country because the Government wanted to impose conditions on crop's cultivation in order to protect the environment. Bayer said this would make Chardon LL "economically unviable". The decision means that GM crops are unlikely to be grown in the UK until 2008 at the earliest.

Take Action
Write to, email (www.locata.co.uk/commons) or fax (www.faxyourmp.com/) your MP asking them to support the GMO Bill being put forward by Conservative MP Gregory Barker. If GM crops end up being commercially grown in Britain, the Bill would introduce separation distances and times between GM crops and other crops and a strict liability code and liability funds to ensure that if organic or conventional crops are contaminated by GMOs, those affected can be reimbursed for their losses.

Briefings and other documents

• 'GM Nation' Debate or debacle? (September 2003)

GM campaign press releases

• Scarecrows make a stand against GM contamination (29th October 2004)
• Brum bites back in US-Europe GMO trade war (16th April 2004)
• Farmer's pilgrimage for a GM-free Britain (8th Oct 2003)
• Reapers Creepers - do fear the (GM) Reaper (10th Jul 2003)
• Local candidates back anti-GM resolution (25th Apr 2003)
• GM: it's now or never for election candidates (10th Apr 2003)
• Public's right to challenge GM crops under threat (21st May 2002)

Press centre: an archive of Birmingham Friends of the Earth press releases 2000-present

Action Briefing articles 2003-5

• Scarecrows make a stand against GM contamination (Dec 2004-Jan 2005)
• Council debates a GM-free Birmingham (Oct-Nov 2004)
• Brum bites back in GM trade war (June-July 2004)
• GM maize: corn but not forgotten (June-July 2004)
• Maize dismays as GM crop given go-ahead (Apr-May 2004)
• GM-free West Midlands update (Feb-Mar 2004)
• Stand Your Ground: tractors and trolleys rally against GM crops (Dec 2003-Jan 2004)
• A GM Digest: can you stomach it? (Oct-Nov 2003)
• One man and his tractor (and a few other things) (Oct-Nov 2003)
• Reapers Creepers! The GM Reaper comes to Moseley (Aug-Sept 2003)
• Why everyone's dropping biotech like a hot GM potato (Aug-Sept 2003)
• GM Nation? The diary of a public debate (Aug-Sept 2003)
• Shropshire goes GM free (Aug-Sept 2003)
• GM Food: who decides what we eat? (Jun-Jul 2003)
• Why GM food and crops won't feed the world (Jun-Jul 2003)
• Japanese Knotweed in Birmingham Report on a real superweed (Jun-Jul 2003)
• GM-free Warwickshire: 52 votes for, none against (Jun-Jul 2003)
• Can we ever have a GM-free Birmingham? (Apr-May 2003)
• GM-free!! (Apr-May 2003)
• GM-free Warwickshire (Feb-Mar 2003)

More Action Briefing articles in our archive.

Links

• Friends of the Earth's Real Food campaign www.foe.co.uk/campaigns/real_food/
• Recent FoE press releses www.foe.co.uk/resource/press_releases/
• Five Year Freeze campaign www.fiveyearfreeze.org/indexb.htm
• GM News www.gm-news.co.uk/indexframe.html extensive newsletter archive
• GeneWatch UK www.genewatch.org/
• Soil Association www.soilassociation.org/web/sa/saweb.nsf?Open
• Sustain - the alliance for better food and farming www.sustainweb.org/index.asp

This page last updated: 17th December 2004