GMO FREE ZONES IN POLAND

Letter to the Minister - 30th May 2012

I am writing to you in my capacity as president of The International Coalition to Protect the Polish Countryside.
As you may know, I am a Polish patriot and have spent the last ten years doing my best to help secure a lasting and sustainable future for the Polish countryside and for the farming community upon which Poland’s rich biodiversity of nature depends.
This has set me at odds with such regimes as GM technology, intense factory farming and US style prairie monocultures. None of these have any place in the hearts of those who take pride in their countryside and recognise the incalculable value of its natural wealth.

Read more [here]

European Parliament Proposals for Tighter GM Regulations
Progress of Regress?

On 5 July 2011, the European parliament backed plans to let member states choose whether or not to ban the cultivation of GM crops on their territory. A decision which has been widely greeted as a victory for ant-GMO NGO's. However, a more careful assessment throws doubt on the validity of this reaction, and it is our view that an opportunity was missed to to call for a complete prohibition of all GM crops.

Read more [here]

“International Resistance to the the Modification and Control of Life”

- Julian Rose -

Resistance comes in three shades: passive, occasionally active and active.
The corporate and political powers who aim to take a controlling influence over the food chain count on the majority of civil resistance being of a passive ‘dumbed down’ nature. They can tolerate a certain amount of ‘occasionally active’ interference in their master plan, but they do not tolerate genuinely active resistance. So those of us who hammer continuously on genetically modified corporate doors are monitored, harassed and generally marginalised by the prevailing ’status quo’ and its media poodles.

Read more [here]

"TRADITIONAL SEEDS - OUR HERITAGE AND NATIONAL TREASURE. Traditional and ecological agriculture instead of GMO".

Preservation of traditional seeds and plants in family rural farms is the way to protect biological treasures and provide food safety. We cannot allow our agriculture to depend on transnational corporations, whose main purpose is big profit, no matter what happens to the natural environment and the health of people and animals. So we started the project

read more [here]

Konrad Niklewicz, Gazeta Wyborcza, 2008-03-12

Poles' GMO-related anxieties are stronger than their enthusiasm for things European. As many as two in three Poles wouldn't buy GMO foods even if they were significantly cheaper than traditional products.

Sixty percent of Poles believe that eating GMO foods can be harmful for your health, according to a PBS DGA poll conducted for Gazeta this weekend.

Nor do Poles want GMO plants to be cultivated in Poland. One in two would support a ban on the cultivation of such plants even if that were to mean higher food prices.

Environment Minister Maciej Nowicki, who is an opponent of GMO foods and who initiated the GMO debate in Gazeta, welcomed the poll's results. 'The Polish public has yet again showed wisdom and caution towards things we aren't prepared for and know little about. This is the prudence principle working'. Minister Nowicki believes the poll's results strengthen his own position - not only in the cabinet, but also in talks with the European Commission.

Poland and Brussels have been in a legal dispute over GMO for months. The Commission filed a lawsuit against Poland in the European Tribunal of Justice for passing a law banning GMO seeds and animal fodders. Poland responded with a counter-suit.

Poles are known in Europe for their euroenthusiasm. And yet as many as 45 percent said it was worth maintaining the GMO ban 'even if it means a conflict with the European Commission'. Some 37 percent thought otherwise.

The results don't come as a surprise for scientists defending GMO technologies. 'The poll confirms the findings of earlier ones. But economic development isn't something you decide in a plebiscite!' said Professor Tomasz Twardowski, molecular biologist at the Polish Academy of Sciences' Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, head of the Polish Biotechnology Federation.

Mr Twardowski believes a major awareness-building campaign is needed.

But Poles won't be easy to convince. Even financial arguments don't seem to work - 66 percent of respondents wouldn't buy a GMO product even if it was 'significantly cheaper' than a traditional one.

The resistance softens a little if the GMO ban were to mean across-the-board food price rises. But even then 49 percent of respondents say the ban should be upheld, with 34 percent saying otherwise.

Poles aren't the exception here. The support for GMO is as low, if not lower, in Austria (only 25 percent in favour), France (29 percent), Latvia (19 percent), let alone Greece (12 percent). At the other end of the scale are Spain (74 percent of the public accepting GMO), Portugal (65 percent), and Ireland (55 percent).

translated by Marcin Wawrzyńczak

Konrad Niklewicz

Source: http://www.gazetawyborcza.pl/1,86871,5015289.html

GM-monster Big photo (1,2 MB) [click here]	'Update Poland' -Poland, Politicians and GMO Hello all! We have been engaged in further attempts to raise public awareness of the renewed threat to Poland's GMO feed and seed bans, represented by the current government's process of capitulation to corporate and EU pro GMO pressures. Our latest heist involved taking a recombinant 'Mutant' (on left) stuffed pig-chicken-cow to a press conference in Warsaw organised by the newly established Coalition for a GMO Free Poland. This sad genetically modidfied beast was stiched together by our talented neighbour farmer's wife (see LINK) and was intended as a symbolic 'looking glass' for the minister of agriculture Marek Sawicki. Sure enough - some success, the journalists showed up to see this weird and weofull exhibit. The majority sat impassively staring at it (and us). It sat equally impassively staring at them. We had already announced our intention to present this mutant plus a letter and parcel of GM food, to the capitulating Mr Sawicki at the Agricultural Ministry. Four of us, including Marek Kryda and Pawel Polanecki (Warsaw based Coalition colleagues) headed there after the press conference only to find that Mr Sawicki had already departed, leaving behind a small posse of police to defend the Ministry against this seemingly serious 'mutant' terrorist threat to the establishment. The following morning we headed back to to the Ministry of Agriculture in order to attend a pro GMO seminar entitled "Success or open air museum?" presided over by none other than .. yes, Mr Sawicki. Clutching the cow-pig-chicken mutant in our hands on the cold and windy Ministry forecourt - we were greeted by a small huddle of media all curious to know/see what it was we were giving to the minister and "what did we think of Mr Sawicki's willingness to comply with the new Brussel's directive?" (To avoid being taken to the European Court of Justice for blocking the 'free trade' of registered GM seeds). Having explained how we believed that the minister was selling Poland out to agribusiness/seed corporations and the EU Commission - and that the 'mutant' was an all too real genetic experiment being subsidized by the European Commission (read 'us') and already taking shape in the worlds' pharma laboratories, we headed for the seminar.
Big photo (1,2 MB) [click here]
On arrival at the Ministry of Agriculture's check in desk we were smartly told that we were forbidden to attend the seminar. However, with a little encouragement we managed to convince Janus Wojciechowski, our MEP colleague and Coalition member, to enter the conference. Well that's just one 'day in the life' of a long and tough campaign to stop the flood gates being opened to the corporate novel food inventions that threaten to swamp our environments. The few minutes/columns of press coverage that resulted from our efforts were greatly outweighed by the pro GM rhetoric that is being fed to the Polish public on a continuous basis. However, collapsing pig prices/angry farmers, striking nurses, doctors, coal miners and teachers are all signs of the overal unrest visibly manifesting itself in this Country. According to the GMO Animal Feed ban due to take effect this year, the import of cheap GM soya 'pig stuffing' protein from the USA and Argentina, will become illegal. This will hit the economies of the vast and vile Smithfield and Danish Crown factory pig farms situated on Polish soil that are completely dependent on GM soya imports. It will also give back to the traditional family pig farmers their 'real food' markets. Ah, but wait ... Mr Sawicki has announced that he will not attempt to enforce the GMO Animal Feed ban. 'Polititicians disease' has no known antidote - yet. A BIG THANK YOU to those who have written to the ministers. There were some very high class letters - one could feel the ministerial wincing! KEEP GOING! You never know when the tide will turn... With warm wishes, Julian and Jadwiga 6th February 2008

GM-corn in Czech Republic

SCIENTISTS FOR A GMO FREE EUROPE

An international coalition of independent scientists will present comprehensive Scientific evidence for a Europe-wide and worldwide ban on the release of GM crops. See http://www.icppc.pl/sciagnij/poster.pdf

!!!! FOR MORE DETAILS CONTACT: WOJCIECHOWSKI Janusz ASSISTANT janusz.wojciechowski-assistant@europarl.europa.eu

We need your support!

GMO Free Zones Declared in Poland .

There are now 16 GMO free regions (out of a total of 16) in Poland which means that the whole Poland now (5 Febryary 2006) has the status of GMO FREE ZONE! Read also 'Polish ban'

The areas that have passed GMO-free declarations in Poland:

• The Swietokrzyskie Province: 11,67 sq km with a population - 1,33 million
• The Warmińsko-Mazurskie Province; around 25,000 sq km, population 1,5 million
• the Dolnoslaskie Province (capitol Wroclaw) in South West Poland, bordering Eastern Germany. It has an area of 19948 km2 and a population of 3 million.
• The Opole Provincial in South West Poland, is a region with many larger than average size farms and a population of just over 1 million and an area of 9412 km2.
• The Slaskie province, situated in South-West Poland. It is well known for its fine mountains scenery and small scale family farms. The area is 12 000 km2 with a population of 5,000,000.
• The Pomorskie Province (with capital Gdansk). It is an area on the Baltic sea, popular with tourists. The area is 18,000 sq km and has a population of 2.2 million.
• The Province of Lodskie (capital Lodz.): 18,220 sq km with a population of 2.5 million.
• The province of Wielkopolskie. Capitol: Poznan. Area 29,000 sq km, population 3.4 million.
• The Province of Mazowieckie (capitol is Warsaw): 35,597 sq km with a population of Mazowieckie is 5,135,732
• The Province of Lubelskie. Capitol: Lublin. Area 25,000 sq km. Population 2 million.
• The province of Kujawsko-Pomorskie. Capitol: Torun. Area 17,000sq km. Population 2 million.
• The Community of Lubawa in Warminsko-Mazurskie (North Poland, capitol Olsztyn) has also declared itself a GMO Free Zone. The population is 10,000 and the area 263km2.
• The Podlaskie Province: 20 179,58 sq km with 1,224,000 people.
• The board members of the Malopolska Province (15,144 sq km. Population 3,222,862) accepted on November 29th a resolution to declare Malopolska a GMO Free Zone.
• Suski region (Malopolska): 687 sq km and the population is 81,000
• Bochenski region (Malapolska) has declared itself GMO Free (631 sq km. Population 97,000)
• The Commune of Lacko (Malopolska) has passed a resolution to declare itself a GMO Free Zone: 132ha area. Population 14,500.
• The board of the city of Krakow (Malopolska) has also voted to declare the city a GMO Free Zone. Area of 327 sq km and a population of 746,000
• The Polanow commune, in the Zachodnio-Pomorskie region, has declared a GMO Free Zone status. This is in the heart of a large scale, mostly intensive agricultural region, with several factory farms - so this is very welcome. (Area 39 sq km, population 9,868
• The province of Podkarpackie (17, 926 sq km, with 2,097 000 people), in South-East Poland, was the first Polish region which declared itself a GMO free zone. The declaration was passed on 27th of September with the strong support of the newly elected Senator of Poland, Mr Kazimierz Jaworski.

More about history of creating GMO-free zones

GMO-free farms

There are now more than 300 farms, from different parts of Poland, declared GMO free zones. ICPPC has initiated this campaign after being alerted to the likelihood of illegal imports and/or dumping of GMO grain in the Country, as well as a widespread lack of awareness concerning the nature and gravity of both the human and environmental threat.