Press
Release
|
Press
Release
|
For Immediate Release: Friday 16th April 2004
Photo Opportunity: Saturday 17th April, New Street (Vic Sq. end), 1200h. A George W Bush look-a-like dressed in a chef's outfit serving up 'GM' to the public. Birmingham Friends of the Earth campaigners with 'bite back' dentures.
Brum 'bites back' in US GM trade war
This Saturday, Birmingham Friends of the Earth will be urging the public to 'bite back' [1] against a US attempt to force genetically modified (GM) food on European consumers through the World Trade Organisation (WTO).
A George W Bush look-a-like dressed in a chef's outfit will be serving up a sinister concoction to passing shoppers in New Street, while Birmingham Friends of the Earth encourage people to put their names to a Citizens' Objection [2] to the US action.
In May 2003, the United States administration complained to the WTO that Europe's de facto moratorium on the commercial development of GM foods constitutes an illegal barrier to free trade. The WTO is expected to decide the matter towards the end of this year.
If the WTO finds in favour of the US, then Europe will be forced to approve more GM foods and crops or face huge financial penalties. GM food will flood into European markets regardless of the wishes of consumers. To make matters worse, the US will almost certainly try and prevent any effective labelling of foods derived from GM ingredients.
Birmingham Friends of the Earth campaigner, Simon Ware said:
"By trying to force its GM food on European consumers in this way, George Bush's administration have shown a breathtaking contempt for European consumers' rights and democracy. It's a very strange definition of 'free trade' that lets the US, having failed to sell Europe GM food, instead try and foist it on us through the arcane trade rules of a secretive and unaccountable body like the WTO."
Mr Ware added:
"GM is a technology that hardly anyone wants and nobody needs. Friends of the Earth wants people to bite back against the hand that's trying to force-feed them. I urge everyone to sign the Citizens' Objection and tell the WTO to dismiss the US complaint and protect our right to choose GM-free food."
Editor's Notes
[1] The 'Bite Back' campaign was launched last September by Friends of the Earth International with support of Jose Bove's Confederation Paysanne, Vandana Shiva's Research Foundation for Science, Technology Ecology, Lori Wallach's Public Citizen, the trade union network Public Services International, the International Gender and Trade Network and more.This alliance of civil society groups representing consumers, environmentalists, farmers, trade unionists and developing countries, pledged to create an unprecedented mass citizen objection to the US-Europe GM trade dispute by collecting citizens' objections from all 146 World Trade Organisation (WTO) member countries.
[2] The Citizen's Objection is a legal submission to the WTO. It can be signed on-line at www.foe.co.uk/campaigns/global_trade/press_for_change/bite_back/