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One Year Silence on GMOs as Hants County Council
trails Dorset

No response to call for Hampshire to be declared GMO-Free Zone

 Date: 2 August 1999

County Council ignores Winchester By-Election candidate's GM letter

A year ago Rosemary Barry, Natural Law Party candidate in the 1997 Winchester By-Election, wrote to the Leader of Hampshire County Council, Cllr Freddie Emery-Wallis, asking that Hampshire be declared a "GMO-Free Zone". In all that time Mrs Barry has not even had an acknowledgement to her letter, even though she knows it was received.

Seven point action plan for GMO-free Hants

In her letter to Mr Emery-Wallis of 12 August 1998 Mrs Barry put forward a seven point action plan to the County Council to discourage the growing of genetically modified crops and the sale and consumption of genetically modified foods in Hampshire.

"Although this was one of the first such requests to a local authority in the UK, I am bitterly disappointed to have received no response whatsoever from the County Council on this matter. Although this is a matter of immense public importance, even common politeness alone would have justified a reply to my letter," says Mrs Barry.

The letter was also copied to the Chairs of the County Council's Education, Planning and Transportation, Education Resources, and Public Protection Committees, as well as the Chair of the Countryside Panel - none of whom provided a formal response to Mrs Barry's timely plea.

Hampshire far behind Dorset

Shortly after Mrs Barry's letter the Wessex Natural Law Party also wrote to the leader of neighbouring Dorset County Council with a similar request. It was pleased to receive a prompt and supportive reply from Council Leader, Trevor Jones. Although Dorset has yet to declare itself a "GMO-Free Zone" in its written reply to the Natural Law Party Cllr Jones confirmed that Dorset County Council was "already largely with you".

Dorset County Council has since quickly established a GM policy. It has eradicated GM soya and maize proteins from school meals, and it plans to eradicate oil and other derivatives of GM soya and maize by the end of September. It's longer term goal is also to eliminate all animal food products where the animals have been fed on GM feeds.

These policies also apply to other food services provided by Dorset County Council such as 'Meals-on-Wheels'. All future catering contracts will include GM related requirements. Dorset County Council has also reviewed its insurance requirements in relation to GM foods, and GM issues are being considered in the preparation of its Local Agenda 21 programme which is due to be published in 2000.

"Local Authorities all over the country are now taking action to at least ban GM foods from school and other council provided meals. It is high time Hampshire County Council got a grip of the situation. It is now urgent that it meets its responsibilities to protect local people from involuntary exposure to this well recognised potential threat to their health and environmnent. At the moment Hampshire County Council is trailing far behind and even seems unable to respond to correspondence on the matter," points out Mrs Barry.

------ENDS------

Notes for Editors:

1. Rosemary Barry can be contacted on 01703 267345.

2. Mrs Barry's seven point plan for creating a GMO Free Zone in Hampshire comprises:

   1. The formal declaration of Hampshire’s official "GMO Free Zone" status after due consideration of the issue by County Council members.
      
   2. The stipulation in all County Council school dinner supply contracts that no food ingredients derived from GMOs are permitted.
      
   3. That a prohibition is made on the use of GMO ingredients in all other food supplies purchased by the Council, such as for staff canteens.
      
   4. That a prohibition on the growing of GMO crops is applied to all agricultural land owned by the County Council (such as its agricultural smallholdings estate).
      
   5. That the County Council encourages District Councils and other public sector bodies within the County to adopt similar policies.
      
   6. That the County Council encourages private sector bodies within the County to adopt similar policies (including food retailers and processors, pubs, restaurants, works canteens, farmers and landowners).
      
   7. That the County Council ensures that its Planning, Estates, Education, and Trading Standards departments are properly resourced to monitor the situation in order to ensure that "GMO Free" status is properly maintained by those undertaking to achieve it.

3. More information on the dangers of genetically modified food and the Natural Law Party's campaign to ban genetically modified foods in Wessex is available at www.btinternet.com/~nlpwessex .

4. The Natural Law Party is active in over 80 countries around the world including all 15 EU member states and is   seeking a global ban on GM foods.

Dorset Evening Echo on NLP call for GMO-free zone

Will GM crops deliver benefits to farmers? - some realities behind biotechnology myths
Why consumers are concerned about GM foods
Why GM technology in agriculture is flawed
Letter in Farming News on lack of markets for GM crops
GM crops a threat to future viability of farming in Hampshire

Natural Law Party campaign to ban genetically modified foods in Wessex
Dorset farmers react in support of NLP GM warnings
Dorset Farmers advised to avoid GM Oilseed Rape

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