1.Delivering the answer to GM spuds in Norwich
2.Potato lobbywatch
NOTE: Some nice images with the Indymedia article. Check them out. Also:http://www.flickr.com/photos/chickenpea111/5982312807/in/set-72157627303039592
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1. Delivering the answer to GM spuds in Norwich
Indymedia, 30 July 2011
http://indymedia.org.uk/en/2011/07/482850.html
*Growers from across the country kick off the campaign against field testing.
Saturday 23rd July saw growers and supporters from all over the UK and beyond descend on Norwich to help deliver 40 boxes of organic blight-resistant potatoes to the Sainsbury Laboratory to highlight the re-emergence of open-air field testing, and the GBP1.7 million of public money being spent in the hunt for a GM blight-resistant spud. Folk came from Wales, France, London, Devon, Lancaster, Manchester, Dorset, Liverpool, Bristol, Yorkshire, Bungay and Norwich itself. You can see photos of the event by clicking on http://www.flickr.com/photos/chickenpea111/sets/72157627303039592/
Backing from celebrity foodie Antonio Carluccio, combined with grassroots organising and the sheer absurdity of the GM research, meant that the event got extensive press coverage (see the links below).
Most of the speeches were conducted in the city centre, next to the farmers' market, and featured the head of policy at the Soil Association, the Director of GM Freeze and a selection of farmers, who explained why GM is a risky, expensive and outdated technology, which is still failing to deliver commercial crops of any benefit to farmers or consumers. Peter Lundgren, a conventional farmer from Lincolnshire, described the ongoing research as "flogging a dead horse". “Why are we throwing good money after bad when we already have six varieties of blight resistant potatoes in the marketplace available for growers? The GM industry makes a great effort to suggest that existing varieties don't taste good.” “Look” he said, pointing to the children in the crowd tucking into hot blight-resistant potatoes being served by the local Greenhouse café. “That's the real test." The crowd of growers, councillors, senior citizens and kids then headed out to the John Innes Centre to deliver the organic spuds under the watchful gaze of several vans of riot cops and a police helicopter.
Prof. Jonathan Jones (or JJ to us”¦) Field notes from close quarters.
The most unusual aspect of the demo which followed was the intimate approach adopted by the Sainsbury's lab researchers. Normally industry scientists are more than coy about engaging with critics. Stop GM attempted to organise a standard public debate in Bramham near Leeds University a couple of months ago. The village is next to the only other open-air trial site in the country at Leeds University, but Prof. Atkinson refused to attend, saying that he didn't believe adversarial debates inform the public.
Up until 6 days before the Norwich rally Jones was issuing threats against anyone attempting to make a delivery to his door and refusing our offer of a modest platform. So it was curious that JJ brought not only a small army of security, but also what appeared to be a not insignificant part of his research team, his PA, and his wife to the party outside the Sainsbury Lab gates, who all mingled with the crowd and attempted to engage in a variety of ways. Jones gave us some useful insights into what to expect from the industry when cornered. The intro to his speech actually included a substantial 'I used to subscribe to the Ecologist in the 70's you know' section. He also talked a lot about the support he had from local farmers, none of whom were actually in attendance, and he didn’t acknowledge viable alternatives to GM, other than to say that the potatoes that had been delivered were "not popular with consumers" (Unlike, say, GM foods – the only product ever to be universally banned by supermarkets from their own lines in response to mass consumer opposition). He attempted throughout to paint himself as a champion of impartial public science dedicated to reducing chemical use, reducing carbon emissions and feeding the world. This from a man who’s other day job is that of co-founder of Mendel Bio-technology. This is taken from their website: "Mendel is dedicated to being a premier biotechnology company serving large agricultural companies with new genetic and chemical solutions and to becoming the leading seed company serving the bioenergy industry." Those chemical solutions and large agricultural companies he so carefully aligned himself against in Saturday's speech? Mendel has three strategic partners: Monsanto (the largest), BP and Bayer Crop Science.
JJ defending his Monsanto links in the Guardian:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2010/jul/18/gm-scientist-defends-monsanto-links
For more on Jones and his commercial bio-tech and lobby group links see: http://www.powerbase.info/index.php/Jonathan_Jones
Jones is also on the board of directors of the ISAAA, a GM industry lobby group. ISAAA's annual review of GM crops is often used to promote the technology, as no one else is putting similar data out.
The rally was followed by some fine shapes being thrown around the campfire at the excellent after-party, and day of grassroots organising where we gathered inspiration from our amazing French friends and further evolved campaign ideas started at Gathering Momentum in January. Watch out for our stall and workshops at the Green Gathering in Chepstow this weekend. Drop in and say hello if you’re passing. For more information about non-GM blight-resistant potatoes see www.savari-trust.org
A summary of some of the news coverage-
TV -
ITN: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=REZwCEZqoSU&feature=player_embedded
BBC: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-norfolk-14277147
Radio: BBC Norfolk: http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/console/p00hxv3f
Press
http://www.fwi.co.uk/Articles/2011/07/25/127998/Campaigners-protest-against-GM-spuds.htm
http://www.edp24.co.uk/news/health/anti_gm_protesters_descend_on_john_innes_centre_in_norwich_1_972864
http://www.newmarketjournal.co.uk/news/regional/protesters_meet_gm_crop_scientists_1_2896750
http://www.southnorwichnews.co.uk/news/rally-heads-for-research-park/
http://www.farmersguardian.com/home/latest-news/norwich-protest-over-gm-potatoes/40434.article
JJ also got a pre-emptive piece in the on-line Guardian. For those who aren't aware, the Guardian has started receiving Gates Foundation funding. The Microsoft billionaire’s fondness for biotech appears to have rendered several previously impartial organisations slightly blinkered in their engagement with GM issues. Whilst some of the media coverage is undoubtedly unbalanced, the Sainsbury laboratory do a lot of PR anyway, and this rally is the first time in many years that they have been forced to defend rather than just promote their work.
At their site [on the Norwich Research Park] they seem to have expended a fair bit of energy in defence as well, with a convenient contamination containing 'tent' over the trial site, and earth barricades at every entrance.
The campaign continues – come and get involved. Contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
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2. Potato Lobbywatch
+ ANTI-GM PROTESTORS DESCEND ON JOHN INNES CENTRE, NORWICH
A group of more than 60 protesters descended on the gates of the John Innes Centre (JIC) in Norwich as part of a campaign against the JIC's GM potatoes, which are engineered to resist blight. At the heart of the protest was a tractor pulling 20kg of organic blight-resistant potatoes that were left at the centre. The protestors said that researchers at the laboratory have spent GBP1.7m trying to develop a potato resistant to the fungal disease, though the JIC said this money has been spent across five projects. The protestors added that there are six non-GM varieties that are already blight-resistant, making this publicly-funded work "absurd".
http://www.gmwatch.org/latest-listing/1-news-items/13336
TV news report on the protest on YouTube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=REZwCEZqoSU&feature=player_embedded
Images from the protest:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/chickenpea111/5982312807/in/set-72157627303039592
http://yfrog.com/kjooeeej
http://yfrog.com/gz2n9whvj
http://yfrog.com/gzglptaj
+ PLENTY OF NON-GM BLIGHT-RESISTANT SPUDS AVAILABLE
A GM blight-resistant potato is not needed, points out a 2006 briefing by GM Freeze. The briefing says that of 120 trialed non-GM potatoes from the UK official list, 20% have good resistance to blight. Ten are classed as having high resistance.
http://www.gmfreeze.org/publications/briefings/70/
+ NON-GM BLIGHT RESISTANT POTATOES DO NOT NEED TO BE SPRAYED
The internet has been swarming with GM pushers claiming that the alternative to the GM spud is non-GM spuds heavily sprayed with fungicides to control blight. But a researcher at the Sarvari Trust, the UK leader in developing non-GM blight-resistant potatoes, said the Trust's potatoes can be grown sustainably without any need to spray 15-20 times a year to control blight.
http://www.gmfreeze.org/publications/briefings/100/
+ MONSANTO-LINKED SCIENTIST PUNTS GM FOODS AGAIN
Jonathan Jones, the John Innes Centre scientist with links to Monsanto via his company Mendel Biotechnology, promotes the JIC's GM potatoes in an article in The Guardian. Jones correctly says that it's hard to get private investment for GM foods because of the commercial risks – and comes up with the solution of raiding public funds to put GM traits into our food supply! He also seems to suggest using public sector status to push GM crops through the regulatory process. Jones's article is entitled, "The cost of spurning GM crops is too high". Does he mean the cost to himself, we wonder? Incidentally, Jones is now on the board of directors of the notorious GM industry backed lobby group, ISAAA.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2011/jul/21/gm-debate?commentpage=all#start-of-comments
See also:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2010/jul/18/gm-scientist-defends-monsanto-links
http://www.gmwatch.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=12370
http://www.powerbase.info/index.php/Jonathan_Jones
+ JONES CLAIMS CONSUMERS DON'T LIKE NON-GM BLIGHT RESISTANT SPUDS
While a farmer at the JIC protest described the non-GM blight resistant potatoes as "Really wonderful", genetic engineer Jonathan Jones claimed that consumers won't accept them. But at a public tasting, the non-GM potatoes proved very popular. Who to believe? A GM Freeze briefing says that the GM industry has been denigrating the non-GM potatoes to large growers and supermarkets, claiming they don't taste good or boil well.
The "conservative consumers" argument is a perennial one used by GM promoters. It was also used to justify the need for the JIC's GM purple tomato, engineered to contain high levels of supposedly cancer-fighting anthocyanins. Many foods naturally contain high amounts of anthocyanins, including, for example, blackcurrants, raspberries, blueberries, red cabbage and aubergines. But the JIC claim that consumers wanting to consume more anthocyanins are too conservative to include any of these foods in their diet. But the JIC appear to believe that through some magical reversal, these same consumers would suddenly drop their conservative attitudes when faced with a GM purple tomato! In their topsy turvy world, it is unimagineable that raspberries could ever be "popular with consumers", unlike GM foods – the only product ever to be universally banned by European supermarkets from their own lines in response to mass consumer opposition!
http://www.gmfreeze.org/publications/briefings/100/
http://www.gmwatch.org/latest-listing/1-news-items/13336