BRIEFING ON FOOD SAFETY AND GMOS:
Is the European Food Safety Authority downplaying the health risks of genetically modified food?
European Parliament Office, Dublin, 15 June, noon - 3pm
Hosted by the European Parliament Independence/Democracy Group and GM-free Ireland Network.
Co-sponsored by the European Parliament Independence/Democracy Group, Euro-Toques Ireland, Glenisk Organic Ireland, GM-free Ireland Network, Irish Doctors Environmental Association, Irish Organic Farmers and Growers Association, Slow Food Ireland, and The Ireland Funds.
Programme:
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Welcome by Kathy Sinnott, MEP
Member, EU Parliament Committee on Environment, Public Health and Food Safety
EU Parliament Representative to the EC Food and Veterinary Office
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Introduction by Michael O'Callaghan
Co-ordinator, GM-free Ireland Network
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Ireland's new government policy to become a GMO-free zone
Address by Trevor Sargent, TD
The Green Party
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Genetic Roulette: The Documented Health Risks of Genetically Modified Foods
Book launch by the author Jeffrey M. Smith • www.geneticroulette.com
Director, Institute for Responsible Technology
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Genome scrambling, GM maize and the European Food Safety Authority
Briefing by Dr. Ricarda A. Steinbrecher PhD.
Developmental biologist and geneticist, EcoNexus.
Member of the ETC Group scientific team whose legal challenge got the European Patent Office to revoke Monsanto's species-wide patent on all genetically modified soybeans on 3 May 2007.
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Discussion with audience
Registration:
An invitation is required for this event.
If you would like to attend please contact GM-free Ireland on (0404) 43 885.
From abroad call + 353 404 43 885.
Due to limited space, priority invitations are being reserved for policy makers and the media. Registration is free, but we would appreciate a voluntary donation of €25 to support the GM-free Ireland campaign.
Who should attend:
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MEPs and TDs
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Policy makers from EFSA, the EU Food and Veterinary Office (FVO), Food Safety Authority of Ireland, Department of Agriculture and Food, Department of Health and Children, Irish Medical Organisation.
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Doctors, nurses, nutritionists, health professionals, medical students.
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Farm organisations.
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Animal feed importers and distributors.
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Food producers and food retailers.
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Media
Background:
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Kathy Sinnott MEP
Kathy Sinnott – who is a member of the EU Parliament Committee on Environment, Public Health and Food Safety – will set the context for the briefing by summarising the Parliament's rejection of the undemocratic way the European Commission allows GM food and crops to be placed on the market, despite opposition from the majority of member states and consumers. Ms Sinnott is also the EU Parliament Representative to the European Commission's Food and Veterinary Office (http://ec.europa.eu/food) which is responsible for ensuring that Community legislation on food safety, animal health, plant health and animal welfare is properly implemented and enforced in the EU, and by third countries exporting to the EU.
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Michael O'Callaghan
Michael O'Callaghan, who co-ordinates the GM-free Ireland Network (www.gmfreeireland.org), will introduce the two main speakers after a brief outline of the biotech industry's hidden influence on Irish government agencies and news media. The GM-free Ireland Network is a coalition of individuals and organisations collaborating to keep the whole island of Ireland free of genetically modified (GM) animal feed, seeds, trees, crops, livestock, fish and food. With the largest number and the broadest diversity of stakeholder groups of any NGO on this island, its 130 organisational members (and the populations of the 9 Irish counties and 9 city or town councils which oppose the cultivation of GM crops) now represent over 1 million citizens.
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Trevor Sargent, TD
Following Wednesday's historic announcement of the Green Party's agreement to enter into Government with Fianna Fáil, Trevor Sargent confirmed his pre-election pledge to resign his leadership position to focus on Green Party policy implementation within the new government. Minutes after the announcement, he said "The establishment of Ireland as a GMO-free zone is a project that I will throw myself into in a very enthusiastic fashion, because we don't have much time to rescue that status for this country, and it's one that is so vital to us as a food-producing island which is operating in markets that are overwhelmingly looking for GM-free food, and if we lose that status, that's it, we cannot go back."
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Jeffrey Smith
Bestselling author Jeffrey Smith, will outline his new book Genetic Roulette (www.geneticroulette.com), which provides a comprehensive overview of the scientific evidence of deaths and disease attributable to GM food in laboratory animals, livestock and the human population. In his foreword to this book, former UK government environment minister Michael Meacher says, "This is the authentic book on genetic modification that the world has been waiting for. The case presented is absolutely a smoking shotgun that should stop in its tracks any dabbling with GM foods, whether by individual families, food companies, or indeed nations." Bestselling author John Robbins says, "Genetic Roulette is dynamite. It totally explodes the complacency and apathy that has been allowing genetically engineered foods to creep into our food supply." And GMO experts Arpad Pusztai and Susan Bardocz write, "Jeffrey Smith's Genetic Roulette destroys the myth that genetically modified organisms are safe and will give sleepless nights to uncritical supporters of GMOs... It is a real treasure and the most important GMO source book for policy makers, scientists, and the public." Jeffrey's first book Seeds of Deception became the #1 rated and bestselling book on GMOs. It made a huge impact and is credited with influencing legislation and changing the global debate on the subject. Mr. Smith is Director of the Institute for Responsible Technology (www.responsibletechnology.org).
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Dr. Ricarda Steinbrecher PhD
Dr. Ricarda Steinbrecher from EcoNexus (www.econexus.info) will review three subjects: (a) the genome damage found in many GM crops; (b) new evidence that GM foods approved by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) are toxic to mammals; (c) the EU-wide call for EFSA to stop using secret risk assessments provided to it by the biotech industry as the basis for approving the release of GM animal feed, food and crops, and for EFSA to make the related data available for public scrutiny and scientific peer review.
Dr. Steinbrecher is a member of the ETC Group (http://www.etcgroup.org) scientific team whose legal challenge got the European Patent Office to revoke Monsanto's species-wide patent on all genetically modified soybeans on 3 May 2007.
Sponsor links:
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European Parliament Independence/Democracy Group –
www.europarl.eu.int/inddem/
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Euro-Toques Ireland –
www.eurotoquesirl.org
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Glenisk Organic Ireland –
www.glenisk.com
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GM-free Ireland Network –
www.gmfreeireland.org
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Irish Doctors Environmental Association –
www.ideaireland.org
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Irish Organic Farmers and Growers Association –
www.irishorganic.ie
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Slow Food Ireland –
www.slowfoodireland.com
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The Ireland Funds –
www.irlfunds.org
