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The Green Party condemns the introduction of genetically modified soya beans. The motive for this is simply increased profit by promoting increased use of the herbicide which those beans are genetically modified to resist.
For the environment where they are grown, the result is increased pollution by herbicide and genetic contamination of natural soya bean crops as the modified soya bean genome enters their environment. That contamination will spread. Soya beans are a common food ingredient, in particular in vegetarian foods, and traded around the world. For those who eat such foods contaminated by genetically modified soya bean material the result is exposure to a novel genetic combination the long term effects of which on humans and other animals are as yet unknown.
The Green Party condemns the decision to mix the natural and genetically modified soya bean crops, undermining decisions by food manufacturers and retailers not to use genetically modified ingredients or at least to label foods containing them as such.
The Green Party calls on food manufacturers and retailers to reject soya bean crops containing genetically modified beans, to insist on natural beans, to guarantee that the food products they make and sell do not contain genetically modified materials or ingredients derived from them, and to label them accordingly. The Green Party supports and calls for boycotts by consumers of the food products made and sold by food manufacturers and retailers who do not give that undertaking in respect of them.
The Green Party is concerned that genetically modified ingredients may be introduced into animal feed, already a large user of soya, especially if such ingredients cannot be sold for human consumption. The Green Party calls for equivalent guarantees from manufacturers and sellers of animal feeds that they do not contain genetically modified material and for the labelling of animal feeds accordingly, and for boycotts by purchasers of animal feeds made and sold by manufacturers and sellers who do not give that undertaking in respect of them.
The Green Party recognises that this is an international issue, and seeks to co-operate with those in our country and other countries working against the introduction and use of genetically modified foodstuffs. The Green Party urges the extension of such campaigns to oppose the introduction and use of genetically modified ingredients in animal feeds.
Contact: John Norris, 5 Beaumont Avenue, Richmond upon Thames TW9 2HE, England, jn@gexpress.gn.apc.org