FIVE YEAR FREEZE RENEWS COMMITMENT TO A MORATORIUM ON GM For immediate release The Five Year Freeze today renewed its commitment to a moratorium on the commercial growing of GM crops in the UK, in anticipation of tomorrow's report from the Environmental Audit Committee evaluating the GM Field Scale Evaluations and despite the Governments intention to push ahead with the commercialisation of GM maize. Freeze Director Clare Devereux said "Ministers have been using the results of the FSEs to justify growing GM maize in the UK. The Freeze is arguing that more research needs to be done before any commercial growing of GM maize is allowed as the trials were invalid for a number of reasons. However, the FSEs are only one part of the GM jigsaw and the Government should be looking at much wider evidence to inform their decisions, not least the huge public resistance to GM in this country." "There is mounting evidence from countries already growing GM crops that they are experiencing contamination of non-GM and organic crops as well as facing messy legal battles over who is to blame and who should pay compensation. The Government appears to be keen to ignore this evidence and press ahead anyway which would undoubtedly bring these problems to the UK." The Five Year Freeze campaign was five years old in February and has received an overwhelming mandate from its 125 [1] supporting organisations to continue the campaign. We have just reviewed our position statement which concludes that the majority of our original concerns have not been addressed and that the recent evidence from Government funded research highlights the fact that those concerns are still very relevant. The Five Year Freeze is renewing its call for: Full protection of consumer choice not to grow or eat GM products, including products from animals fed on GM food, through stricter labelling regulations and lower contamination thresholds Protection of the non-GM food chain from contamination to a level not detectable at 0.1% for all non-GM crops Strict liability laws for environmental and economic harm arising from contamination to a level of 0.1% caused by growing GM crops, including the costs of preventing and detecting contamination to be borne by the industry that produces and profits from developing them Independent assessment of the implications of patenting genetic resources Independent assessment of the social and economic impact of genetic engineering on farmers Long term, independent research on the safety and impacts of GM food for humans, animals and the environment that is open, transparent and trusted by the public. This should include assessment of the impact of GM crops on soil micro-organisms, farmland ecology the implications of pollen distribution A ban on the cultivation of herbicide tolerant GM sugar beet and oil seed rape based on the evidence of the farm scale evaluations and a ban on the cultivation of GM maize until further research has evaluated the environmental impact of commercial production A ban on the growing of GM crops which could lead to genetic contamination of native species Thorough consideration of alternatives to genetic engineering in the global food supply A rejection of the use of hunger and malnutrition faced by the developing world as a justification for commercialisation of GM crops in the UK [1] Five Year Freeze supporters are: Action Aid Action Against Allergy Additives Survivors' Network Agricultural Christian Fellowship African Initiatives Baby Milk Action Bakers, Food and Allied Workers Union Biodynamic Agricultural Association Black Environmental Network Body Shop International PLC British Allergy Foundation British Association of Fair Trade Shops British Association of Nature Conservation British Naturopathic Association Caduceus Campaign for the Protection of Rural Wales Campaign to Protect Rural England Catholic Institute International Relations Centre for Alternative Technology Chartered Institute of Environmental Health Christian Aid Christian Ecology Link Communities Against Toxics Compassion In World Farming Corporate Watch Culpepers Earthshare Ltd Ecologist Ecology Building Society Econexus Elm Farm Research Centre Ethical Consumer FARM Farm-A-Round Ltd Farming and Livestock Concern Federation of City Farms and Community Gardens Find Your Feet Food Commission Food for Health Network Food Poverty Network Forum for the Future Fresh Food Company Freshlands UK Friends of the Earth Friends of the Earth Scotland Gaia Foundation Gardeners GMO Group GE Free Forests Genetics Food Alert Genetics Forum GeneWatch UK GM-Free Cymru GMO Campaign Good Gardeners Association Green & Blacks Green Books Green Network Green Party Greenpeace Guild of Fine Food Retailers Guild of Food Writers Harvest Help HDRA Health Food Manufacturer's Association Help International Plant Protein Organisation (HIPPO) Hyperactive Children's Support Group Iceland Foods Institute for Science in Society Intermediate Technology Development Group International Society for Ecology and Culture Islamic Concern Islamic Foundation for Ecology and Environment Sciences Living Lightly Local Government Association Longhouse Food Consultancy Maternity Alliance Medact National Association of Health Stores National Federation of Women's Institutes National Society of Allotment and Leisure Gardeners Ltd Natural Law Party Natures Store Ltd. Neal's Yard Bakery Neal's Yard Remedies New Economics Foundation New Internationalist Noah Project Organic Farm Foods Wales Organic Gardening Organic Shop Organics Direct Oxfam People & Planet Permaculture Association UK Permaculture Magazine Permanent Publications Pesticides Action Network UK Plamil Food Planet Organic Positive News Pret A Manger Pro-natural Food Scotland Resurgence Scientists for Global Responsibility Scottish Beekeepers Association Small Farms Association Soil Association Student Environment Network TGWU The Harbour Townswomen's Guilds Traidcraft Plc Triodos Bank UNISON Vegan Society Vegetarian Society Vetwork UK Vinceremos Wines & Spirits Ltd Welsh Beekeepers Association Whole Earth Foods Ltd Wholesome Food Association Wildlife Trusts Womankind Worldwide Women's Environmental Network Woodland Trust World Development Movement World Wide Fund for Nature Carrie Stebbings FIVE YEAR FREEZE CAMPAIGN The Genetic Engineering Alliance 94 White Lion Street London N1 9PF Tel: 020 7837 0642/01273 822700 Fax: 020 7837 1141 carrie@fiveyearfreeze.org www.fiveyearfreeze.org