Update Poland – Poland, Politicians and GMO
GM-monster
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.
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