Dear friends,

I was very pleased to read Carlo Petrini’s statements on the invasive GMO
and biofuel threat, on the Terra Madre Newsletter.

Attempts to force GMOs on citizens and on the agriculture that feeds us all,
is surely one of the most pernitious crimes against humanity ever to have
been perpetrated on the living world. We would only need to rely on
laboratory created, patented “novel food” if no other choice existed. And it
is precisely this scenario that the creators of GMO wish to encourage.

One should be in no doubt about this. The ultimate (corporate) objective for
the “tomorrow” which Carlo Petrini refers to, is for corporations to rest
control of the entire food chain. Already GM seed processors Cargill and
Monsanto between them, own aproximately 60% of commercial seed stocks and
are increasingly exercising control over the farmers that buy from them.

In the USA, most of the small print in the contracts that would-be GM
farmers unwittingly sign carries a phrase stating that the signee has no
right to go to law to defend him/herself in the case of any problems. This
constitutes an extraordinary invasion of democratic rights and it is not
just aimed at US farmers.. The present US adminstration is supporting a
process of world food supply hegemony and is putting increasing pressure on
National governments to comply with it’s dictats.

In face of this unprecidented attempt to pollute and cross contaminate our
native and indigenous food supplies with highly unstable gene altered plants
and animals - there can be only one solution: an outright GMO ban.

If one wishes to stop an invasion of one’s Country one has to close the door
and then fight for one’s survival.
All members and supporters of the Slow Food movement must now rally to this
call. The damage which will be done if we cannot repel this invader is
almost beyond our comprehension. There is no time left to take any other
step than to DEMAND a cessation of all GM plantings in Europe and beyond.

There is no more aware and powerful an organisation than Slow Food to lead
such a call: firstly to our governments and the European Commission.

The current scientific evidence is conclusive in exposing the manifest
dangers inherent in GMO foods and in the complete impossibility of
controlling field based seed and pollen cross-contamination via the absurd
instigation of “Coexistence” measures proposed by the European Commission.

A new GMO Moratorium (leading to an outright ban) must be called for by all
citizens who care about the future of their food and environment. The
‘precautionary principle’ upon which EU law was founded, has failed us. We
have no other option than to demand the immediate cessation of all GMO
imports. A great surge of support for this action from Slow Food enthusiasts
will be the best possible way to launch this uniquely important campaign!

If enough people reply positively to this letter we can form a spearhead
steering group to hammer out our demands for a GMO Free World and join
forces with other activists struggling for the same aims.

NOW is the time.

In anticipation,

Julian Rose

(organic farmer,author of Slow’s Manifesto for Raw Milk Cheese and President
of the International Coalition to Protect the Polish Countryside)