EXCERPT: "All the good work done to keep GMOs out of Poland in the Seeds Act... and the Animal Feed Act will be undermined if GM seeds are allowed into your Country for bio-fuels production."
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from the International Coalition to Protect the Polish Countryside
Dear Friends
As you may be aware, the new interest in the agricultural production of bio-fuels opens the door for GM oilseed rape and other GM seeds to be imported into European Countries for the purpose of processing into bio-fuels. At first glance this may not look like a problem, but the reality is that it can be a 'Trojan Horse' for contaminating the seed chain and by-passing existing controls.
WE THEREFORE URGE YOU TO SUPPORT OUR EFFORT TO PREVENT THIS HAPPENNING IN POLAND WHERE A STRONG POSITION HAS ALREADY BEEN TAKEN TO KEEP THE COUNTRY GMO FREE. BY SIGNING AND SENDING [THE LETTER BELOW] TO THE POLISH PRESIDENT, YOU WILL BE HELPING TO RAISE AWARNESS OF THIS DANGER AND KEEPING THE DOOR FIRMLY CLOSED TO ALL GMO IN POLAND.
With kind greetings
Jadwiga and Julian
ICPPC - International Coalition to Protect the Polish Countryside, Miedzynarodowa Koalicja dla Ochrony Polskiej Wsi 34-146 Stryszów 156, Poland tel./fax +48 33 8797114 This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. www.icppc.pl www.gmo.icppc.pl www.eko-cel.pl
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Pan Prezydent Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej
Lech Kaczy_ski
Kancelaria Prezydenta RP
ul.Wiejska 10,
00-902 Warszawa, Poland
Fax.: +48 22 695-22-38,
e-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Dear President,
We are writing to you concerning the Bio Fuel Act which has, we understand, just passed through the Upper and Lower houses (Sejm and Senat).
There is a serious danger that the passing of this act will allow into Poland large consignments of genetically modified oilseed rape seeds (and possible other GM seeds in the future) intended for processing into bio-fuels in Polish factories. If these imports are accepted, there is a strong likely hood of cross contamination occurring through spillage and through the intentional or unintentional mixing of conventional and GM seeds.
All the good work done to keep GMOs out of Poland in the Seeds Act (which we understand is not stopping the import of GM seeds for industrial purposes) and the Animal Feed Act will be undermined if GM seeds are allowed into your Country for bio-fuels production.
We do not believe that it will be possible to maintain effective segregation of GM and non GM seeds once they are allowed into Poland. There is no visible distinction between them. This virtually guarantees GMO getting into the Polish food chain, to the environment(ex. spread during transport, packing) and quite possibility into agriculture, as they will be unwittingly planted on the assumption that they are conventional seeds.
A much better solution will be to encourage Polish farmers to grow their own biomass crops, without recourse to agrochemicals and mono cultural systems that destroy soil fertility and the rich biodiversity of the Polish countryside.
First and foremost, we strongly urge you to use your prerogative and not sign the current Bio Fuel Act until appropriate changes have been incorporated. In this way you will maintain the integrity of the excellent policies so far enacted, to keep Poland and Polish food completely free of GMO.
Yours faithfully,