European Regions Declare Themselves GM-Free

Europe's largest grassroots environmental network is utilizing Earth Day to launch a new campaign demanding better legal protection for areas that want to ban genetically modified (GM) crops. Friends of the Earth Europe says initiatives to ban GM crops are now underway in at least 22 European countries inhabited by tens of millions of people. The campaign is intended to 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."On such consideration is the protection of local traditional 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. 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." The number […]

Read More