3 items:
1. timetable of events for 2020
2. farmers' tour details
3. uea meeting details
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1. timetable of events from tomorrow
Wednesday 18th April:
At 10am a photocall will be held in the courtyard of the Greenhouse, Bethel St, Norwich. The Lord Mayor of Norwich will unveil a 8 feet diameter metal model of a globe trapped in a padlocked cage - representing the domination of global agriculture by biotech firms.
The photocall will be followed by a press conference at the Greenhouse to launch the week's 2020 Vision Collective events. Attending will be the Lord Mayor of Norwich - Cllr Ron Borritt, Devinder Sharma, Michelle Chawla, Salome Yesudas, Umnapur Lakshmi, Alistair Smith - 2020VC, Ed Cross - Farmers Link, Brian Baxter - Organic Smallholder, Dr Jeremy Bartlett - Ex JIC, Jonathan Matthews - NGIN, Mark Robertson - Conventional Farmer, Robin Grove White - academic on the government's AEBC.
7:15pm: The 2020 vision collective presents a public meeting - feeding or fooling the world? An evening of debate and discussion on genetically modified organisms (GMO's) and the future of global agriculture. People around the world face a future of imposition rather than consultation, but what kind of informed future do we really want? This event will bring together voices rarely heard in the UK. Location: UEA lecture theatre 1.
Speakers include:
Devinder Sharma -Chair of the Forum for Biotechnology and Food Security, New Delhi.
Michelle Chawla -Leading environmental Campaigner, Greenpeace India
Lakshmi & Salome - A Farmer and food scientist from the Andhra Pradesh region of India, working with the Decan Development Society to advance sustainable agriculture.
Patrick Mulvany - (Intermediate Technology Development group).
Friday 20th April:
5pm - Social evening at the Greenhouse, Bethel St, Norwich. The Speakers get the chance to meet the Mayor, local Councillors, MP's, church leaders, members of the WI and farmers, press are also welcome to attend - please call to book a place as entry is by invitation only.
Saturday 21st April: Our Food: Our Future. - Free Food Fair Earlham Park from 2pm until 11pm there will be workshops, demonstrations and information covering a wide range of food and environmental issues including organic farming, healthy eating, growing your own food, renewable energy, local campaigning and more. There will also be music, children's entertainment and of course cafés. Participants include representatives of Action Aid, Greenpeace, WDM, Oxfam, East Anglian Food food Link, NEAD, Farmers Link, CWF, Allotment group, Soil association, WI, Healthy Norfolk, permaculture group.
Background on speakers (those not listed above):
Ed Cross -Director Farmers Link, he runs a part organic farm in Norfolk.
Recently went to India and met the visiting Indian farmers and saw their work with the Deccan Development Society.
John Sanderson - Norfolk farmer who destroyed contaminated oil seed rape crop last year (will be at debate).
Prof. Tim O'Riordan Head of Environmental Studies - University of East Anglia.
Background on the 20/20 Collective: The 2020 Vision Collective formed in response to the John Innes Centre's 'Global Agriculture 2020' conference. It aims to challenge the promotion of the necessity and inevitability of GMOs by certain political groups, scientific bodies and interested corporations.
The 2020 Vision Collective believes in a future for global agriculture that meets the needs of both farmers and consumers, creating sustainable social, economic and environmental well-being
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2. 'GM crops are not the solution to feeding the world."
PRESS RELEASE
2020 Vision Collective
Those are not the words of Greenpeace but of one of Norfolk's biggest landowners, Henry Birkbeck who farms 8,500 acres. Henry Birkbeck is far from alone amongst Norfolk farmers in his scepticism about the claims for GM agricultue.
According to Donald Morton, a Norfolk farmer farming 730 acres, 'GM is a step too far. It's the last flowering of a discredited form of agriculture.'
Now Donald Morton and other Norfolk farmers, many of whom share his scepticism over the GM revolution, will be sharing their thoughts and farming experience with a group of Indian agriculturalists [1] visiting the county to bring wider attention to the concerns of many farmers in the developing world that, in the words of Christian Aid, "Biotechnology and GM crops are taking us down a dangerous road, creating the classic conditions for hunger, poverty and even famine."[2]
They will be visiting organic, small scale family run, medium organic and conventional and large industrial farms. The tour has been organised by West Norfolk farmer, Edward Cross[3]
Farm Tour Tuesday 17th 10:30 - 12:30am Dave Potter The Vineyard Low Common Bunwell. Organic Orchard and salad crops for local box scheme.
1:30 - 3pm Mark Roberson Beetley Old Hall, Old Beetley, Dereham Norfolk. Conventional Medium size arable and grassland farm.
Thursday 19th
Morning - Steve Ashford( Mid Norfolk Farmers co-op) Leys farm, Hockering, Dereham Norfolk Conventional Arable
Lunch time - Ed Cross Abbey Farm Flitcham, Norfolk. Part Organic arable.
Afternoon - Donald Morton, Bagthorpe Farm, Kings lynn, Norfolk. Potatoes, cereals veg Organic conversion
NB the tour will only occur in non-foot and mouth areas and on arable farms, with no livestock.
One farmer who will not be meeting the Indian farmers because of Foot and Mouth is John Sanderson. The Norfolk farmer who was the first UK farmer to destroy his contaminated oil seed rape crop last year. John will, however, be meeting the Indian farmers when they talk at the University of East Anglia on Wednesday evening.
MEDIA CONTACT: Nicole Cook 07769 838769
Footnote:
[1] The visiting Indian agricultruralists are:
Umnapur Lakshmi & Salome Yesudas, Farmers from the Andhra Pradesh region of India, working with the Deccan Development Society to advance sustainable agriculture.
Devinder Sharma , Chair of the Forum for Biotechnology and Food Security, New Delhi.
Michelle Chawla - food and environment campaigner, Greenpeace India
[2] from the Christian Aid report: "Biotechnology and GMOs"
[3] Edward Cross is the Director of Farmers Link. He runs a part organic farm in Norfolk. He recently went to India and met the visiting Indianfarmers and saw their work with the Deccan Development Society.
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3. Feeding or Fooling the World?
A Free Evening of Debate on GM Crops and the Future of Global Agriculture
This Wednesday (18th April) there will be an evening of lively debate on the subject of GM crops and the future of agriculture, held at the University of East Anglia.
Speaking will be one of India's most highly regarded food and policy analysts, a leading Indian environmentalist, *Norfolk farmers, councillors, *[delete anti-GM] scientists and members of the public.
The organisers also hope to have attendees from a parallel pro-biotechnology conference also being held in Norwich, organised by the John Innes Centre.
The 'Feeding or Fooling the World?' debate aims to bring together voices rarely heard in this country - like those of the small farmers involved in a recent ActionAid project in India, involving a 'jury' of farmers whose very livelihoods depend on what they grown*. Like ordinary people around the world, they say they face a future that seems more about imposition than consultation. What kind of informed future do they really want?
Everyone is welcome to attend the debate, which is free. It has been organised by the locally based 2020 Vision Collective (1).
2020 Vision Collective member *Nicole Cook from Diss in Norfolk* explained, "GM crops are a hot topic, and help for the hungry has been an increasingly big issue in the GM debate ever since Monsanto's PR campaign claiming GMOs were vital to feed the world".
*She continued, "Many, including the leading aid agencies, condemn this attempt to hard-sell an experimental technology heavy with corporate interest on the backs of those suffering from poverty and hunger. However, the approval of certain members of the scientific elite is often quoted in support of GMOs as the necessary panacea".
"But are there sustainable, inexpensive alternatives to GM crops that do not come with unknown risks, or generate dependency on foreign companies? And, just as importantly, are there other voices from the South that we should be listening to? Everyone with an interest in these questions should come along to the debate and find out more".
The debate starts at 7.15pm and is being held in Lecture Theatre 1, University of East Anglia, Norwich, Norfolk.
ENDS
EDITOR'S NOTES:
*(1) Background on the 20/20 Collective: The 2020 Vision Collective aims to question the promotion of the necessity and inevitability of GMOs by certain political groups, scientific bodies and interested corporations.
For more information contact: 2020 VC c/o Nicole Cook. Amandines, Norfolk House Yard, St Nicholas Street, Diss IP22 4LB Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. <mailto:This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. 01379 651902 or 07769 838769
Debate Speakers:
Devinder Sharma - Chair - the Forum for Biotechnology and Food Security, New Delhi.
Michelle Chawla - leading environmental Campaigner, Greenpeace India.
Umnapur Lakshmi & Salome Yesudas - Farmers from the Andhra Pradesh region of India, working with the Decan Development Society to advance sustainable agriculture.
Patrick Mulvany -Intermediate Technology Group