Dear Friends,

The current GMO ban, introduced by the present government in 2006, still
holds to-day. However, it is in serious danger of being undermined by the
imminent introduction of a new law that would allow the commercial planting
of GMO. The European Commission rejected the blanket Polish ban on GMO
imports as being illegal under EU freedom of trade regulations. The Polish
government
has responded by coming up with a new Act that will almost certainly be a
‘compromise
solution’. The new Act will soon be discussed by the upper and lower
houses of the Polish parliament and a decision reached.

In our view the situation smells strongly of betrayal. Rather than stand up
and fight for what is a perfectly valid outlawing of an extremely dangerous
genetic experiment, the government is preparing to capitulate to the typical
bargaining games of political ineptitude and corruption. We will fight to
keep the current ban in place and we sincerely hope that all other aware
activists will recognise the importance of maintaining the Polish GMO ban.
It has enormous significance for the whole of Europe and beyond, not just
symbolically, but because Polish farmers maintain a highly diverse - and
informal - indigenous seed base which would be quickly wiped out if GMO were
allowed to proliferate the countryside.
This seed base can be shared with other countries of similar
geographic topography and will surely be very much needed in the not so
distant future.

Currently there are a number of GM field trials taking place at different
research stations around the Country.
They are mostly small scale (0.5 ha) plots but there are possibly some
larger maize trials.
As with virtually all other Countries, GM reseach and development is carried
out into a wide
range of fruits, vegetables and cereals, revealing the degree of
contamination which could be unleashed if such
genetically modified foods were to become legalized.

ICPPC calls upon all members of the Network for GMO Free World and all our
friends in other Countries to now send a short letter of alarm to the
leaders of the upper and lower houses of the Polish Parliament (where the
new act will
be debated: date unknown), calling for the secure maintenance of the present
GMO import ban and resistance to the irresponsible demands of Brussels. See
addresses below.
PLEASE send a copy to us!

Every Country must now help every other Country to reach our unified goal of
a GMO Free World.

Thank you dear friends!

Warm wishes,

Julian and Jadwiga
============
ICPPC - International Coalition to Protect the Polish Countryside,
Międzynarodowa Koalicja dla Ochrony Polskiej Wsi
34-146 Stryszów 156, Poland tel./fax +48 33 8797114
biuro@icppc.pl http://www.icppc.pl http://www.gmo.icppc.pl http://www.eko-cel.pl

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Chairman of Upper House
Bogdan Borusewicz
biuro@b-borusewicz.pl or borusewicz@nw.senat.gov.pl
Biuro Senatorskie Bogdana Borusewicza
Marszałka Senatu RP
ul. Ogarna 99/100
80-826 Gdańsk
tel.: +48 58 320 84 83
fax: +48 58 320 84 84

Chairman of Lower House
Ludwik Dorn
Ludwik.Dorn@sejm.pl
Biuro Poselskie Posła Ludwika Dorna
ul. Koszykowa 10
00-564 Warszawa
woj. mazowieckie
tel. +48 (22) 621-29-24, (22) 621-37-18
fax +48 (22) 621-38-12
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