Web version of a letter sent to Members of the European Parliament on 23rd February 2002 by SGR

Re: EU Legislation on Traceability and Labelling of GM Foods

To: [Name of MEP], [E-mail address of MEP]

Dear [Name of MEP],

REQUEST

I am writing to ask you to support my democratic right to eat foods that I can trust to be free of genetically modified ingredients and of their derivatives. In the vote of the European Parliament that is to take place in early July, I urge you to vote for strict standards, such as those envisioned by the Environment Committee:

• any product containing a genetically modified ingredient, whether or not GM protein is present, should be labelled and traceable;
• any product obtained from animals given GM feed should be labelled and traceable;
• a zero-tolerance level should be set for GM ingredients that have not been approved by the EU;
• the burden of labelling should fall on those who introduce new technology, not on those who produce food in traditional ways.

REASONS FOR THE REQUEST

I am a scientist and have brought evidence to the Chardon LL Hearing (Chardon LL is a GM forage maize) recently concluded in London, that the safety of GM food and feed has not been established, contrary to claims from the bio-industry. Other independent scientists who presented evidence at the Hearing agreed with this conclusion. The Director of the International Feed Resource Unit said that, until further tests he recommended had been carried out, he would not drink milk from cows fed on the GM maize. These conclusions were based on the scientific evidence. The ‘proofs of safety’ submitted by the developers of Chardon LL, which were unpublished and ‘confidential’ reports, were dismissed by the independent scientists as being seriously flawed; and the data, such as it was, actually showed that the health of animals fed the GM maize had been impaired. [1]

Consumers all over Europe must hope that MEPs will not succumb to whatever pressure is put upon them to support lenient rules on GM foods and feed. The UK government, in particular, seems determined that the bio-industry should be given whatever it wants to enable them to force GM products on the unwilling public. I urge you to resist this pressure and to take note of the findings of the independent scientists. Even the pro-GM Royal Society recommends that ‘In the longer term, should GM foods be re-introduced into the market in the UK, we suggest that the Food Standards Agency considers whether post-marketing surveillance should be part of the overall safety strategy for allergies, especially of high-risk groups such as infants and individuals in “atopic” families.’ [2] Obviously, they are not confident that GM foods will have no effects on the population.

IMPORTANCE OF THE VOTE

With the delicate balance of MEPs on this issue, every individual vote cast in July will be important in deciding whether consumers will have the ability to avoid genetically modified foods if they wish to do so. They must have the possibility of exercising this fundamental democratic right. The UK government has promised us that we shall have this right. Please vote for the strictest labelling and traceability of all food and feed.

I would appreciate receiving from you a statement of your position.

Yours sincerely,

(Dr) Eva Novotny

[1] Chardon Hearing transcripts at www.defra.gov.uk/planth/pvs/chardon. See Chardon documents 001018 (18 October 2000), pp. 23, 32, 34; 001024 (24 October 2000), p. 18; and 020523 (23 May 2002).

[2] Royal Society Policy Document 4/02, ‘Genetically modified plants for food use and human health – an update’, February 2002, section 7, last paragraph).