NOTE: Sweden is heading for complete GMO FREE status: http://bit.ly/iCux08 Only the German chemical giant BASF and its GM potatoes stand in the way.
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Risky potato plan mashed by activists
Greenpeace International, May 19 2011
http://bit.ly/kNtVka

It's potato planting time again in the north of Sweden where activists are occupying BASF’s potato warehouse and are blocking the exit in order to hinder the German chemical company from planting the risky GMO potato "Amflora."

BASF clearly haven't learned from last year's contamination debacle, when, in the first planting season, it was discovered that the company had accidently contaminated the Amflora field with its own non-approved gm-potato "Amadea". The contamination scandal is the proof that once GE crops are released into the environment they cannot be controlled, even by the company that plants them.

Amflora was approved in the European Union to be used in food with a levels up to 0,9% and for feed use and seed cultivation. This approval of low levels in food allows for contamination of conventional potato crops by Amflora crops.

This GMO potato was approved without sufficient independent studies - no proper environmental risk assessment was conducted, toxicity for humans and animals was not assessed, and the implemented antibiotic resistance was simply ignored.

Greenpeace is demanding that BASF stop any further cultivation activities of Amflora, and for the European Commission to withdraw its approval of the GMO potato.

Greenpeace Austria, together with Justice and Environment and other NGOs, has already taken legal action against the approval of Amflora at the European Court of Justice. And not only NGOs are taking legal action, even member states, under the leadership of Hungary, are suing the European Commission for the approval of this risky potato.

Thank you! This work wouldn’t be possible without the million people that signed the petition calling for a moratorium on genetically modified (GM) crops. Read more about the delivery of the very first EU citizens initiative!
http://bit.ly/j7oXcY