Press release - 21 June, 2004
A huge cargo of GE maize from the United States has been stopped from entering the port of Bristol in the UK today by Greenpeace. The MV Etoile is carrying GE maize destined for dairy farms that supply milk to Britain's biggest supermarkets.
"Our climbers have stopped a massive GE cargo unloading in the
United Kingdom, but now we want this ship to turn around and go
back to the United States. Consumers' polls have consistently shown
that the majority of consumers prefer GE-free food," said Dan
Hindsgaul, Greenpeace International GE campaigner. "What we never
see is consumers demanding GE food, begging the million dollar
question: why isn't the global food industry doing more to make
sure supply meets demand rather than force feeding GE food to
consumers?"
Greenpeace has targeted ships carrying GE crops from Argentina
and the United States in their campaign against GE crops in food
and feed. Millions of tons of these GE imports are being dumped
into animal feed where consumers do not know they are used and
where people are not given the freedom of choice to avoid them
because the meat and dairy products coming from animals fed on GE
feed still do not require to be labelled.
Four climbers from the environmental group boarded the 125,000
ton ship in the Bristol Channel. They are now suspended off the ten
metre high side of the Etoile with banners saying 'Stop GM Imports'
below the logos of the UK's major supermarkets. The
Panamanian-registered MV Etoile has gone to anchor off Rhoose,
South Wales.
Official UK Government figures compiled by Greenpeace reveal
that a million tons of maize and soya is entering the country every
year from countries that grow GE crops(1). Growing GE crops is
harmful to the environment, leading to huge increases in the use of
powerful chemicals on crops. The effects of the technology are
unpredictable, and no reputable studies have been conducted into
the safety of GM food.
The U.S., Canada and Argentina argue that the European Union has
violated WTO agreements by not authorising any new GMOs since 1998
and now wants the WTO to force the EU to accept GE food. As the
largest producers of GE crops they have the most to lose from
restrictions on trade in GE technology. The U.S. and Canadian
Governments are also attempting to delay the publication of a
report from the Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC) of
the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), which is expected
to reveal caution about the potential environmental and human
health impacts of transgenic maize. The report would have serious
impacts on their WTO case against the EU.
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Notes: 1. http://statistics.defra.gov.uk/esg/statnot/mcompspn.pdf