Hi!
Forwarded message re: new campaign against Genetically engineered seeds.
Thanks!
Angela
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For immediate release, December 8, 1998
An announcement from the Native Forest Network/Eastern North American
Resource Center, the Institute for Social Ecology Biotechnology Project,
and New England Resistance Against Genetic Engineering (NE RAGE):
ECO-ACTIVISTS CALL FOR CAMPAIGN
AGAINST GENETICALLY ENGINEERED SEEDS
This past weekend, the Native Forest Network/Eastern North America held its
semiannual regional Forest Summit in Portsmouth, NH. In addition to
discussions of ongoing campaigns in the Green and White Mtns. and against
dioxin contamination by the pulp and paper industry in the region, we began
developing a new campaign against genetically engineered seeds.
The assembled activists agreed that genetic engineering represents an
extreme long-term threat to the integrity of life on earth, as well as to
human health and the future of agriculture. We also recognized that the
commercialization of GE food crops in the US has already reached beyond the
point where individual actions against test plots of GE crops are likely to
be as effective here as they have been in Britain and across Europe.
The urgency of this campaign was highlighted by a report that this year's
catalog from Johnny's Selected Seeds, probably the best known supplier of
seeds to organic growers in the Northeast, might be selling GE seeds this
year. In fact, while there are no GE varieties in this year's Johnny's
catalog, there is a disclaimer saying they want to keep an "open mind"
about genetic engineering and consider future products on a case-by-case
basis. This is not acceptable!
The campaign, as outlined this past weekend has four components:
1. A short-term focus on Johnny's Seeds. We will ask Johnny's customers
and other concerned people to write to the company and make it clear that
if Johnny's ever lists a GE variety in their catalog, we will join with
activists across the country to call for a full fledged boycott. Activists
from NFN and NERAGE will be meeting with Johnny's next week to discuss
their policy.
ACTION STEP: Write or call Johnny's at 1 Foss Hill Rd., RR1, Box 2580,
Albion, Maine 04910, 207-437-4301. Urge that they retract their "open
door" policy regarding genetically engineered seeds and send a special
mailing to all their customers certifying this change in policy. (We will
send out a full action alert based on the outcome of next week's meeting.)
2. A medium-term focus to identify companies in our region that are
selling genetically engineered seeds to commercial growers. We have begun
collecting catalogs and want to identify local and regional suppliers.
There will be widespread efforts to get GE seeds off local shelves
throughout this winter/spring seed ordering season, including public
outreach, contacting store owners, leafletting campaigns, picketing and
direct action.
3. Ongoing outreach to farmers. Many commercial growers are being sold on
GE seeds, especially herbicide tolerant (Roundup Ready, etc.) crops and
pesticide-secreting (Bt, etc.) varieties, without any information about
their consequences. These varieties are being marketed as alternatives to
increased pesticide use, and are almost never identified as genetically
engineered. We will organize house meetings and other open forums to speak
directly with farmers, especially in dairy farming communities in our
region.
4. A national day of action. Sometime next year, we plan to call for a
national day of action against genetically engineered seeds, including
major demonstrations at corporate headquarters, as well as seed suppliers
and other local outlets for the biotechnology industry.
To stay in touch with this evolving campaign, contact:
Institute for Social Ecology Biotechnology Project
PO Box 132, Calais, VT 05648
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
NFN/Central Maine
RFD 1, Box 6000, Athens, ME 04912
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
New England Resistance Against Genetic Engineering
PO Box 186, Jonesboro, ME 04648
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
New Hampshire Earth First!
P.O. Box 4101, Portsmouth, NH 03802
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
NFN/Eastern North American Resource Center
PO Box 57, Burlington, VT 05402
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
NFN/Gulf of Maine
RR2, Box 370, Verona Island, ME 04416
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Institute For Social Ecology - http://ise.rootmedia.org/
