Natural Law Party news bulletin
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PRESS RELEASE
Natural Law Party supports
Local Government Association
call for ban on GM food
24 February 1999
The Natural Law Party has congratulated the Local Government
Association
for its decision today to recommend that all local councils ban
the use of
genetically modified foods. The Association's Committee for
Public
Protection voted to advise the 500 authorities in England and
Wales to
impose a five-year ban on GM foods, in their schools, care homes,
and meal
services.
Dr Geoffrey Clements, leader of the Natural Law Party, said:
"We
are delighted with this decision and the fact that many councils
are
already following this policy. In the absence of a ban on these
foods by
national government or the EU, we must look to the level of local
government to provide protection to the public from what could
otherwise be
irreversible damage to health and the environment. Such actions
as the
LGA's will send a powerful signal to the government to respond
properly to
public opinion on this issue. We hope that many more national
bodies will
now follow suit.
"We believe very strongly that as long as there is any risk
associated with GM foods, they should not be used," Dr
Clements said. "The
Prime Minister's position - that there is no firm evidence to
justify a ban
- is irresponsible and unscientific. The LGA's position - that
the foods
should be avoided until proved safe - is the correct one, and we
applaud
them for it. There is mounting scientific evidence of serious
risks for
human health and potential damage to the environment. Moreover,
experts
agree that agriculture can easily provide wholesome food for the
whole
population without turning to GM food at all."
The Natural Law Party was the first political party to take a
firm
stand on this issue, and has been actively campaigning since June
1996 when
it launched its Campaign to Ban Genetically Modified Food. Last
October,
the Natural Law Party began approaching local councils
encouraging them to
ban genetically modified food locally and make their area a
"GM-Free Zone".
For a permanent solution to the GM foods crisis, the Natural Law
Party encourages a transformation to natural, sustainable systems
of
agriculture, particularly organic systems. At the same time, the
party is
calling for the introduction of well-researched and tested
programmes to
generate coherence and positivity in collective consciousness,
since this
alone will fully protect the public from the development and
application of
potentially damaging technologies such as genetic engineering.
Dr Clements is available for interview.
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