Cruelty Free Living
Issue 5: August-October 1999
True Food Campaign
The current level of consumer demand for organic food is unprecedented. As public concern grows about the quality of food, and the way it's produced, a true food revolution is taking place. People are making active choices about the kind of food they are willing to eat - and increasingly the choice they are making is ORGANIC.
Sadly, lack of support from Tony Blair's government means that less than 1% of agricultural land is farmed organically in the UK - unlike Austria where it is more than 10%. As a result, the UK is forced to import 70% of its organic food.
Yet, while the country cries out for more organic produce, Tony Blair's government and the large agrochemical companies like Monsanto are rushing headlong down another path - genetic engineering.
What does organic mean?
Unlike industrial farming, organic farming works with nature rather than against it. Organic food is:
- produced without artificial pesticides and fertilisers;
- free from genetic tampering in animal feed and food products;
- and in the case of organic meat, it must come from livestock which is allowed to roam freely and reared without the routine use of antibiotics, growth promoters and other drugs. More than 99% of chickens, 80% of pigs and nearly 50% of all cattle and sheep are given antibiotics routinely. This is not permitted in organic farming.
What is genetic engineering?
Genetic engineering transfers genes from one species to another - in ways that could never happen in nature. Scientists have already introduced genes from bacteria, viruses, insects animals and even humans into plants and animals. For instance, genes have been transferred from a fish into a strawberry and from a human into a sheep. No one can predict what unintended effects may be caused by transferring genes. For example in Scotland, salmon were genetically modified to grow faster. The fish did grow quickly - but they were also deformed.
Risks to Health and Environment
Because this technology is so unpredictable, no one knows what genefoods will do to human health or the environment in the long term. Because they are living organisms, once released into the environment, the plants and animals produced by genetic engineering can never be recalled or contained. We would be releasing "biological pollutants" into the environment that are even more damaging than chemical pollutants. Any mistakes or undesirable consequences could be with us forever.
Who benefits?
Agrochemical companies like Monsanto and government ministers often use the argument that genetically engineered foods will "feed the world". However, it is unequal distribution of food that keeps millions hungry; the result of landlessness, unemployment, debt repayments and above all poverty. Multinationals pushing their genetically engineered crops into the developing world will only worsen this situation, particularly as control of the global food chain becomes ever more concentrated in their hands. As consumers we do not stand to benefit from genefoods; the technology is not necessary and not wanted. It's time for a new approach to food production.
Join the True Food revolution - say NO to GM food and YES to organic food
Greenpeace is campaigning for healthy, sustainable food production. The True Food Campaign will work with consumers, chefs, food professionals, growers, gardeners, restaurant goers and anyone with an interest in food, to oppose the introduction of genetically engineered ingredients and to increase the availability of organic food.
(Source: Greenpeace True Food campaign material. For more information you can contact the Greenpeace True Food Campaign, Canonbury Villas, London, N1 2PN, tel: (0171) 865 8100)