Digest No #122, 22nd December 2011

1. GM Labelling - what's happening?
2. GM contamination - where it is and who's trying to stop it
3. Thanks for your support - what MADGE has done over the year
4. Inspiring news and people

1) GM Labelling - what's happening?

Thank you to everyone who has made such efforts to ask our politicians for proper food labelling. We know hundreds of people have contacted them in the past few weeks alone.

Unfortunately the Ministers responsible for food labelling decided to maintain the inadequate GM labelling we have. They also refused the mild improvements suggested in the Blewett report "Labelling Logic". This means:

• No follow up monitoring and testing of food found to be contaminated with GM
• No labelling of GM food on the menu or on vending machines etc
• No support for Australian and NZ labs to monitor FSANZ labelling requirements effectively. This was considered too costly. Overseas labs were considered cheaper.

The Ministers were similarly weak on traffic light labelling (refused) and irradiated food (looking to end labelling). They did support the development of a new standard for labelling food containing nanoparticles. However it is unacceptable that nanoparticles are already in our food before any assessment has been conducted.

The Ministers listened to the food industry rather than the public. The lack of labelling is a growing issue worldwide. Here are two great articles:

Elizabeth Farrelly "...nanoparticles, GM or BPA, all of which could be in your baby's banana custard and you'd never know." ...... "Essentially, the government's take on what passes your lips, and mine, is "trust us". But can we?"

Michelle Maisto "as a parent it's my moral and even legal responsibility to exercise caution and skepticism and when in doubt to err toward good sense. When small, vulnerable lives are at the heart of a matter, to do anything less would be criminal."

MADGE's advice is to buy food from companies, shops and farmers who tell you what is in their food.

• Use the True Food Guide
• Find your local farmers markets, CSA, box schemes, grow a garden, find a food swap
• Donate to "Local Harvest" by 30th Dec and help set up a website that will enable you to find your local food.

2) GM contamination - where it is and who's trying to stop it

GM canola was first grown commercially in Victoria and NSW in 2008 and in WA in 2010. It has caused contamination: farmer Steve Marsh lost organic certification when his neighbours GM canola was washed onto his farm, Ian and Jodi James were contaminated in a similar fashion. A truck spilt GM canola in Williams, near GM-free farmers who have contracts to supply Japan non-GM canola. GM plants have been found growing in various areas including near the Lubeck silo in Victoria. Even trialling GM crops is risky as GM plants were found near research laboratories and a station in different parts of Switzerland although no GM crops are commercially grown there.

Greenpeace is lobbying the WA government for Farmer Protection Legislation. "The proposal is for GM companies to pay into a fund managed by the government that would compensate farmers whose land is contaminated. It will protect both GM and non-GM growers and will put the responsibility of managing risk back where it should belon - on to GM companies."

It appears that GM contamination may be part of the GM strategy:

"The hope of the industry is that over time the market is so flooded [with GMOs] that there's nothing you can do about it. You just sort of surrender." Don Westfall, biotech industry consultant.

Canada is proposing to allow low levels of unintentionally present, unapproved, GM material in imported food. The GM industry is concerned that traces of GM approved in one country but unapproved in another will disrupt trade. Trade interests are seen as more important than public health.

In contrast the EU is toughening its stance against illegal GM rice traits found in Chinese rice exported to the EU. From January 2012 they will require testing and tracking of rice:

"Once again the cost of cleaning up a GM mess is falling on innocent parties. It is another example of why we urgently need a strict liability regime making it clear who will is liable and protecting innocent parties."

To prevent GM contamination Australia needs:

• Farmer Protection Legislation so that the GM companies pay for the damage they cause
• Rigorous monitoring and testing of imports to prevent food with illegal GM traits being imported

GM rejection is growing worldwide. The more people that join in the more likely we are to protect, preserve and promote the farmers, seeds and food producers that provide for us.

3) Thanks for your support - what MADGE has done over the year

We have had a very busy year and would like to thank everyone who has taken even one action (sent an email, grown herbs, cooked more often, rang a pollie, chatted to friends about GM). It all adds up. Here is a very brief summary of what we have done:

• Developed a new leaflet on GM
• Written reports, articles and submissions including: contributed to the global report "The GMO Emperor has no clothes", submission on the National Food Plan and Monsanto's high Omega 3 soy articles in Arena and Chain Reaction magazines
• Sent out 3 action alerts on food labelling, patents and 2,4-D corn and soy
• Sent out 16 press releases to the media and 2 briefing papers to politicians
• Met with politicians across the political spectrum including the Federal Ag Minister Joe Ludwig
• Given talks: At an organic conference in Canada, NSW Farmers meeting, at the Moral Fairground festival in Fed Square, at Students of Sustainability Conference, Transition Bondi, Sydney Food Fairness Alliance, Deckchair Democracy, debated David Tribe, spoke at Dowerin Field Day in WA, Cardinia Sustainability Expo, Occupy Melbourne
• Worked with other groups including GM Free Australia, Australian Food Sovereignty Alliance, Australian Fair Trade and Investment Network and the Yarra Community Food System
• Attended conferences and functions including: Advisory Council on Intellectual Property function, Food Industry Foresight Workshop, Rural Press Club, On the Edge - food growing around cities, Academy of Social Science in Australia Food symposium and a Tim Lang workshop
• Given interviews in the press and on the radio. Many thanks to 3CR and The Pulse 94.7 for covering the GM issue. MADGE also was interviewed by The Australian magazine and Bush Telegraph. Tweeted that ag forum "agchatoz" had links to biotech and so was not a neutral forum. Story covered by the ABC and The Land.
• Made a formal complaint to ABC's Behind the News about a programme on GM directed at children
• Organised 3 actions: Rally at Julia Gillard's office about GM wheat, Rally outside ag minister Joe Ludwig's address of the Rural Press Club on the National Food Plan, Christmas Breakfast to highlight the Ministers decisions on food labelling

MADGE does this to try and support a food system where food, children, people, animals, land and water are all treated fairly and respectfully.

4) Inspiring news and people

There is much that is very awry with food and with our world in general. However there are also many, many people and organisations working for change and having amazing successes.

• Ethical guide to Christmas
• Kids celebrating good local food - very cute video
• An Australian farmer and researcher explain how health comes from farmers growing food in healthy soil and regenerative agriculture
• For a total contrast to the above interview hear Don Huber, soil borne disease expert, talking about the diseases, damage and disasters being linked to GM crops.
• "Bullshit! GMO's" Great film of Vandana Shiva. "They have one vision in their mind about total control over food & our seeds." "We have another vision in our mind about people having their own control over food.." "Fighting Monsanto is like doing a perfect painting" "We will liberate the earth. We will reclaim our food freedom." "Life cannot be made subservient to money"
• 98 papers published between 1999 and 2007 show organic farming has the potential to feed the world
• Women in Yorkshire town of Todmorden aim to make it food self sufficient by 2018. ..... 'It's a very ambitious aim. But if you don't aim high, you might as well stay in bed, mightn't you?' The result is fruit and vegetables all over town, less vandalism and more community spirit. "There's a nobility to growing food and allowing people to share it. There's a feeling we're doing something significant rather than just moaning that the state can't take care of us. 'Maybe we all need to learn to take care of ourselves.'"
• Edible Education 101: Lectures from Micheal Pollan's Berkeley class

Wishing you a very happy festive season and a wonderful 2012

Love

MADGE