farmers

Anti-GMO Farmers in Poland Need International Support

noGMO-fish

Source:
Polish Farmers Protest Sale of Land for GM Crops

by Guest Blogger, Sir Julian Rose

The Polish farmers’ protest against a government sell-off of farmland to multinational corporations is now in its 5th week in Zachodniopomorskie region of Poland and is spreading to other Provinces.

Farmer-Protest

Farmers have blocked the entrance to the Office of an Agricultural Property Agency in the town of Szczecin using tractors to seal off neighboring streets.

The Polish farmers protest is taking place due to government actions to sell the land which is still in their hands but is in use by Polish farmers. The farmers wish to purchase the land for the continuation of their farming enterprises rather than see it sold off to outside interests at highly inflated prices which they are unable to pay.

EU Sanctioned GMO Zones Threaten Polish Farmers

This land-sale process links into the Polish government’s recently established “Seeds Act”. This Act conforms Poland to European Union (EU) regulations concerning the ‘free trade’ of GM seeds within the Country. This EU edict also requires that the Country establishes special “GMO Designated Zones” for the commercial planting of GM seeds.

On the 28th December 2012, the Polish government declared that passing the “Seeds Act” would make it possible to now ‘ban’ GM seed planting in Poland. However, it did not state that the Act, while prohibiting planting of GM seeds, allows the ‘trading’ of these same seeds.

The land which the government is opening for multinational corporations to purchase can be used by these corporations for the commercial planting and production of GM products in the heart of the Polish countryside. This would satisfy the conditions outlined by the EU for the planting of GM crops in ‘special designated’ areas.

International Coalition to Protect the Polish Countryside-ICPPC and the Coalition for a GMO Free Poland are supporting the Polish farmers protest which is seen as critical to preventing a mass sell-off of prime farmland. The two organizations are also making it clear that the supposed government ‘ban’ of GM seeds in Poland is a fabrication and a sop to satisfy high public concerns about the health risks attached to GM foods.

What You Can Do To Help

old-barn-with-flowers

Please circulate this article among GMO concerned groups and activists.

The most important thing we can do now is give these farmers moral support from all over the world.

Write letters of solidarity and support to the brave Polish farmers to encourage them in their civil disobedience campaign. Send your letter care of:

Sir Julian Rose, President ICPPC
Jadwiga Lopata ICPPC Founder/Vice President
ICPPC – International Coalition to Protect the Polish Countryside,
34-146 Stryszów 156, Poland tel./fax +48 33 8797114 biuro@icppc.pl
www.icppc.pl www.gmo.icppc.pl www.eko-cel.pl

Sir Julian Rose is a British aristocrat who has turned his family estate into a model of sustainable farming. He is now co-director of the International Coalition to Protect the Polish Countryside, co-launching a highly successful Campaign for a GMO Free Poland, as well as, leading a high profile defense of native farmers, whom he holds-up as the true guardians of biodiversity and quality of food throughout the world. Julian contributed to BBC Radio Four’s Farming Today during 2007 with his monthly broadcast, ‘Letters from Poland,’ passionately highlighting the crisis from forcing corporate globalization into traditional farming communities.

Milk: Symbol Of Purity, Symbol Of Conflict

Milk: Symbol Of Purity, Symbol Of Conflict

Photo: Geert Vanden Wijngaert / AP Source: The Salt: What's on Your Plate by April Fulton Food fight! Earlier this week, European Union dairy farmers decided to protest milk price controls by spraying police with high-pressure hoses filled with milk. It certainly wasn't the first time tha ...

One Farmers Perspective on the Raw Milk Debate

One Farmers Perspective on the Raw Milk Debate

Mike Guebert, a local small scale integrated livestock farmer who sells raw milk from his farm direct to the public shares his perspective on the safety and benefits of raw unpasteurized milk. According to data from the Center For Disease Control, there are an estimated 9 million people in the U ...

Argentinean Tobacco Farmers Sue Monsanto for Knowingly Poisoning Their Children

Argentinean Tobacco Farmers Sue Monsanto for Knowingly Poisoning Their Children

Source: www.courthousenews.com Monsanto and Big Tobacco Blamed for Birth Defects WILMINGTON, Del. (CN) - Monsanto, Philip Morris and other U.S. tobacco giants knowingly poisoned Argentinean tobacco farmers with pesticides, causing "devastating birth defects" in their children, dozens of worker ...

End Factory Farming Occupy the Food System

End Factory Farming Occupy the Food System

It is a delight to see more articles popping up lately discussing how us foodies need to put our differences aside and focus on ending this despicable practice of factory farming. Absolutely. I spent a little bit of time volunteering at the Food not Bombs kitchen set up for the people down at Occupy ...

Underground Markets Popping Up Everywhere!

Underground Markets Popping Up Everywhere!

We finally had our first underground market meeting here in Vancouver. It went really well, we met in a lovely old house in a nice central location. I even--just barely--remembered to get a photo to document the event--too bad my camera sucks at indoor photos-this was the best I could do. We decided ...

Foodie’s Follow Friday 4 – Food Sovereignty

Foodie’s Follow Friday 4 – Food Sovereignty

I have teamed up with Alex over at www.amoderatelife.com and April of 21st Century Housewife to host the Feed Me! Tweet Me! Follow Me Home Friday Friend Builder Linky. Scroll to the bottom of this page to link up your Real food lovin' blog so we can all get to know each other. Focus on Food Sover ...

Urgent – Write to MPs on Bill C-474 by Feb 8

Urgent – Write to MPs on Bill C-474 by Feb 8

Bill C-474 is a private members bill that, if passed, will require market impact assessment of any new GMO crop sold in Canada. It will be debated for the third and final time on Feb 8 and the vote will be held on Feb.9. Please write letters to and encourage your friends to also write to let Parliam ...

What’s So Great about Gates?

What’s So Great about Gates?

This article was recently pointed out to me by a friend who knows of my distaste for the Gates Foundation and all of the "good work" they are doing. I once looked through a long list of all the projects they were funding in 'developing' countries and was quite disturbed. One example of something the ...

Farmers Markets of Myanmar

Farmers Markets of Myanmar

Click here to view exotic images of farmers markets around Myanmar. Who can resist an open air market? In Shan State they have a very clever system by having their farmers market run on a five day cycle. So, for example, around the mystical Inle Lake, the market will be one day in Nyaung Shwe, th ...