Polen | ICPPC

http://www.alternet.org/food/poland-becomes-14th-european-nation-officially-ban-gmos

http://www.keine-gentechnik.de/news-gentechnik/news/de/25550.html

13.04.2012

Polen kündigt Gentechnik-Verbot an

Protestaktion gegen Gentechnik in Polen; Bild: Greenpeace Polen
Polens Landwirtschaftsminister hat ein offizielles Verbot des Gentechnik-Maises MON810 angekündigt. Die jüngsten Proteste von Imkern und Gentechnik-Kritikern haben Erfolg gezeigt. Ende März sind Tausende in einem bunten und sehr eindrucksvollen Marsch in Warschau gegen Gentechnik auf die Straßen gegangen. Imker haben aus Besorgnis wegen des wachsenden Bienensterbens eimerweise tote Bienen auf die Treppen des Landwirtschaftsministeriums gekippt. Letzte Woche trommelten Gentechnik-Aktivisten von Greenpeace und weiteren NGO’s vor dem Kanzleramt auf die weltweit größte Trommel gegen Gentechnik und überreichten eine von 40.000 Bürgern unterzeichnete Petition gegen Gentechnik. Mit den Aktionen wollen sie die Regierung bekräftigen, den von Landwirtschaftsminister Marek Sawicki eingereichten Vorschlag für eine Verordnung, den Gentechnik-Mais zu verbieten, zu stützen. Der Gentechnik-Mais soll wegen einer möglichen Verunreinigung des polnischen Honigs und der daraus resultierenden wirtschaftlichen Verluste verboten werden. Zwar durfte bisher in Polen kein Gentechnik-Saatgut gehandelt werden, doch wird in den Statistiken der Industrie ein Anbau von 3.000 ha in Polen verzeichnet.

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http://www.transgen.de/aktuell/1284.doku.html

Grüne Gentechnik in Europa: Größere Flächen nur in Spanien – Keine weiteren Anbauzulassungen in Sicht
(10.04.2011) Der Anbau gentechnisch veränderter Pflanzen in Europa konzentriert sich weiterhin auf Spanien. Zwar waren es 2010 acht EU-Länder, in denen die Grüne Gentechnik auf einer Gesamtfläche von 90.000 Hektar genutzt wurde, doch 85 Prozent davon entfielen auf Spanien. Unterdessen drängt die rumänische Regierung darauf, den Anbau von gv-Sojabohnen zu erlauben. Rumänien erhofft sich davon eine deutliche Steigerung seiner  Agrarexporte.
Der gentechnisch veränderte Bt-Mais MON810 wurde 2010 in sechs EU-Ländern angebaut. In dreien – Portugal, Tschechien und Rumänien – gingen die Flächen gegenüber dem Vorjahr zurück. Einen deutlichen Anstieg gab es in der Slowakei, allerdings auf einem geringen Niveau. Größere Bt-Mais-Flächen mit etwa je 4800 Hektar liegen in Portugal und Tschechien.
Leicht zugenommen hat der Anbau von Bt-Mais in Spanien. Zwar stiegen die Flächen nur um 500 auf 76.500 Hektar, da jedoch dort der Maisanbau insgesamt zurückging, legte der GVO-Anteil an der nationalen Maiserzeugung um zwei auf nunmehr 24 Prozent zu. Vor allem in Aragon und Katalonien setzen die Landwirte überwiegend auf Bt-Mais. Dort ist der Maiszünslerbefall hoch.
Bei einer 2010 durchgeführten Umfrage gab die Mehrzahl der Landwirte an, mit Bt-Mais die durch den Schädling verursachten Ertragsverluste deutlich reduzieren zu können. Außerdem könnten sie Kosten sparen, da sie für die Schädlingsbekämpfung weniger Pflanzenschutzmittel und Arbeitszeit benötigten.
Erstmals war 2010 in der EU auch ein Anbau der gv-Amflora-Kartoffel mit veränderter Stärkezusammensetzung möglich. In Tschechien, Schweden und Deutschland wurde sie auf einer Fläche von insgesamt 250 Hektar ausgepflanzt.
Ein Anbau weiterer gv-Pflanzen ist in der EU vorerst nicht zu erwarten. Zwar liegen den Behörden einige Anträge für Anbauzulassungen vor, doch Entscheidungen zeichnen sich bisher nicht ab. Bei drei weiteren für den Anbau in der EU vorgesehenen gv-Maislinien (Nk603, Bt11, 1507) ist die wissenschaftliche Sicherheitsbewertung schon seit langem abgeschlossen, jedoch zögert die EU-Kommission, eine Entscheidung über deren Zulassung herbeizuführen.
Daran dürfte sich wenig ändern, bevor nicht die von der EU-Kommission angestoßene Diskussion über eine Re-Nationalisierung beim Anbau von gv-Pflanzen beendet ist. Von diesem politischen Stillstand ist auch die fällige Entscheidung über die Neuzulassung von MON810-Mais betroffen.
Unterdessen will sich die rumänische Regierung bei der EU dafür einsetzen, den Anbau von gv-Sojabohnen freizugeben. Mit dem Beitritt zur EU 2007 hatte Rumänien den Anbau von gv-Sojabohnen aufgeben müssen, nachdem zuletzt 120.000 Hektar damit  bewirtschaftet worden waren. Derzeit produziere Rumänien Soja nur für den Eigenbedarf, so der rumänische Landwirtschaftsminister Valeriu Tabara. Das Land könne weitere 1,5 Millionen Tonnen Soja für den Export erzeugen. Derzeit seien die rumänischen Landwirte international nicht konkurrenzfähig, da die Unkrautbekämpfung im Sojaanbau sehr aufwändig sei. Mit herbizidresistenten gv-Sojabohnen könnten die Kosten dafür gesenkt werden. Tabara will durchsetzen, dass der Anbau von gv-Sojabohnen ab 2012 wieder erlaubt wird.
Die Zahlen zum Anbau von gv-Pflanzen in der EU wurden von EuropaBio, dem europäischen Biotechnologieverband auf Basis von Angaben der jeweiligen Regierungen zusammengestellt. Nur für Polen gibt es keine offiziellen Zahlen, dort wird  die Anbaufläche für gv-Mais auf 3000 Hektar geschätzt.

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-Taking Control of our Destinies-
‚Saving and Spreading Our Native Seeds‘

Our ability to survive as human beings depends upon our capacity to ensure an enduring food and water supply. This may seem obvious, however there is no guarantee that many people are thinking about it. However, the corporate agribusiness sector certainly is – and we need to make sure that they are thwarted in their desire to take ownership of the global gene pool and thereby to wrest absolute control over the food chain.

Two International ‚Seed Action‘ days are to take place on 17-18 April 2011. In Brussels, thousands of seed activists will meet to swap their seeds and to press European deputies to establish an enquiry into whether laws permitting the private control and alteration of seeds violates the fundamental human right to food and access to seeds. They will demonstrate unwillingness to accept that our livelihood is handed over to multinationals like Monsanto, Cargill, Bayer, Dupont, Pionneer, Syngenta and BASF.

In Poland ICPPC will be launching a national „Seeds for All“ awareness raising initiative on the same dates as the Brussles event. We will be encouraging farmers and gardeners to mark this day with their own demands that multi national corporations keep their hands off the indigenous landraces of Poland and that government supports the small farmer instead of cow towing to agribusiness lobby groups. There will be sessions of common traditional seed sowing with local farmers; seed swapping; promoting the establishment of local seed banks and starting vegetable plots at schools and kindergartens.

April 17th has been declared „International Peasant Resistance Day“ by Via Campesina, the international peasant support body. They will also be co-organising a demonstration in Brussels on April 18th.

You too can do your bit to save and support the propagation of our native seeds: what would a future be like when all our food and plant life is simply a laboratory modified clone of the real thing?

Read on….

The power of transnational corporations operating in the seeds and chemical market has grown rapidly over the past three decades. Now the ten largest seed companies own 67% of the world market. Via genetic modification, patenting and the introduction of seed reproduction fees these companies are exerting a dangerous stranglehold on the genetic diversity of our planet. Smaller enterprises have been bought out and the diversity of the seeds we need to maintain a healthy diet and a biodiverse countryside has gone with them.

Now, at the eleventh hour, a swelling grass roots movement is taking action to protect and expand the native seed base of Europe and beyond. Under the title „Sowing the Future – Harvesting Diversity“ thousands of people throughout Europe are actively demanding that the right to produce seeds remains in the hands of small farmers and gardeners. A diversity of crops has nourished mankind for thousands of years. Seeds that we have inherited from past generations are the basis of life both now and in the future, and are essential for food sovereignty.

We know from the 400 scientists who helped compile the „International Assessment of Agricultural Knowledge, Science, Technology and Development“ (IAASTD) report (2007) that „Peasant farming makes the greatest contribution to feeding the world.“

The EU Commission turned against this knowledge in 2008 via a revision of the seeds legislation which the Commission then brought into force in 2010. Under the heading „Better Regulation“ it has introduced draconian bureaucratic regulations to greatly restrict the variety of native seeds eligible for commercial production. The signs are that they will now attempt to prohibit the circulation of all non-registered varieties. This is intended to prevent alternative non hybrid seeds competing on the corporate dominated hybrid seed market place. The big seed companies also want low levels of GM contamination not to be declared on labels.

Increasingly even non-GM seed varieties are succumbing to patenting: the anti shrivel tomato, anti carcinogen broccoli and high sugar melon for example. The seed companies are also lobbying Brussles to allow them to carry out all the necessary seed controls themselves. A disaster is knocking on the door – don’t open it.

A wide variety of native seeds are essential for food sovereignty. Any new seed laws should protect this vital heritage. We must demand, in the strongest possible terms, the unimpeded ability to access any and all varieties of native seeds and an end to the corporate theft and privatisation of life forms.

Its up to us.. why not launch your own „Seeds for All“ actions for April 17/18 April – wherever you reside! Never imagine that someone else will do the work for you..

In unity and solidarity,

Julian and Jadwiga

==========================
ICPPC – International Coalition to Protect the Polish Countryside,
Międzynarodowa Koalicja dla Ochrony Polskiej Wsi
34-146 Stryszów 156, Poland tel./fax +48 33 8797114  biuro@icppc.pl
http://www.icppc.pl   http://www.gmo.icppc.pl   http://www.eko-cel.pl

Przeczytaj – „Zmieniając kurs na życie. Lokalne rozwiązania globalnych
problemów“, autor: Julian Rose http://www.renesans21.pl

_______________________________________________
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—

IMPORTANT COMMUNICATION:

AFTER READING THIS, PLEASE URGENTLY WRITE TO YOUR MEP EXPRESSING YOUR VIEWS – IF YOU DON’T WANT EUROPE TO BE FLOODED WITH GMO!

„European Parliamentary Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development Accepts GMO Coexistence“

Summary of the Committee’s statement:

The Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development of the European
Parliament has published its advice to the European Parliament Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety concerning (revised) Directive 2001/18/EC „As regards the possibility for the Member Sates to restrict or prohibit the cultivation of GMOs in their territory.“ (See link at end of this paper).

The document’s stated intention is to aid the Commission in „unlocking the deadlock on decision-making surrounding GMOs and the EU.“

To this end: (quoting from the paper) „Your Rapporteur believes that member States should be required to adopt a case-by case approach when deciding to use this new power to ensure  restrictions are crop specific. This would recognise that different GMOs bring both different threats and benefits to different regions, and therefore should be assessed individually to make sure member States respect the principle of proportionality.“ The report goes on to state: „..elements such as socio-economic or ethical considerations cannot substitute for science-based decisions on safety.“

The European Parliamentary Committee has recommended introducing to the current EU directive: „a requirement to respect the principle of
proportionality and the freedom of choice for consumers and farmers. (It)
has sought to give greater protection to those farmers who wish to cultivate GM-free and greater legal certainty to Member States using this
flexibility.“

However immediately following this apparently ‚more restrictive‘ regime we find the following statement: „In order to respect (the) freedom of choice it is necessary to ensure that Member States have robust co-existence rules in place on their territory. This requires an amendment to Article 26a of Directive 2001/18/EC to give reassurance to non-GM growers and consumers who wish to grow and purchase GM-free products that their right to do so will be respected.“

The document then calls upon the European Commission to require Member States to „publicise and implement the restrictions they plan to take . at least three months before the start of the growing season, so that farmers can plan ahead with some certainty.“

The European Parliamentary Committee on Agriculture and the Rural Economy also calls for the Commission to „draw up a proposal on technical thresholds for labelling GMO traces in conventional seeds at the lowest practicable, proportionate and functional levels for all economic operators..“

We have summarised, in short, the contents of European Parliamentary
Committee’s document in order to convey the main issues contained therein.

Our Comment:

This is a cleverly worded sell-out. In spite of the fact that we now have
the expert advice of some of the most respected independent laboratories in Europe, nowhere is the issue of banning GMO or introducing a GMO Moratorium even raised. On the contrary, the European Parliamentary Committee on Agriculture and the Rural Economy has lent over backwards to ensure that ‚the rules of the game‘ continue to be adhered to, namely: that the World Trade Organisation’s insistence on the supremacy of  ‚free trade‘ over ‚public health‘ never be called into question by the European Commission. Exercising the  ‚precautionary principle‘ on GM imports into the EU is seen by the WTO as a ‚restrictive‘ ‚anti free trade‘ measure and therefore in violation of WTO principles.

How can the European Commission exercise a health and safety based
‚precautionary principle‘ if it cannot challenge the WTO’s sanitary and
phito-sanitary rulings and extend the safety measures of  such a ruling to
include socio-economic criteria resulting from the views of  bona fide
citizens who are negatively affected by applications of GMO – instead of
only taking the opinion of outside scientists? Public participation is a
crucial component of reliable GMO risk assessment and is indispensable for legitimate WTO and EC regulatory safety measures.

However, the most outstanding admission lies in the European Parliamentary Committee’s full acceptance of ‚coexistence‘: the right to plant GM crops and seeds within polluting distance of conventional and organic crops. This recommendation makes a mockery of millions of European citizen’s demand for GM free foods and a GMO free Europe. It also is a totally incomprehensible proposal in view of the hundreds of cases of cross-contamination that have already taken place between GM and non GM crops in all parts of the world, resulting in a gross distortion of the fundamental rights of  rural stakeholders and.

It would appear that the European Parliamentary Committee has failed to
grasp this reality or it has nurtured an irrational faith in national and
regional government’s will and ability to exercise some form of effective
and enforceable cross contamination controls. This, even if it were
possible, also ignores the temporary nature of any regional parliamentary
legislation and the fact that, after  elections, a new national government
could overturn any stringent rulings made by its predecessors and introduce a more liberal GMO agenda. The report also stresses that ethical and socio-economic concerns are less valid than „science-based decisions on safety“. Whereas the opposite is closer to the truth. No mention of ‚independent scientific decisions‘.

As if to reinforce the controversial nature of this position the document
states:“In accordance with Article 2(2) Member States should therefore be entitled to have a possibility to adopt rules concerning the effective cultivation of GMO’s in their territory after the GMO has been legally authorised to be placed on the Union market, provided that those rules do not affect the free movement and marketing of GMO products and seeds.“

What will the 70% of European citizens who have stated their clear
opposition to GMO and who have been expecting the European Parliament to represent their views have to say about that?

While appearing to offer the regions the chance to ‚control‘ GM planting
regimes, the European Parliament Committee and EU Commission are quietly absolving themselves of responsibilities to protect the health of European citizens and instead, appear to be preparing to open the door to US corporate trade cartels and the US government which have long since been pressurising for a freeing-up of  EU restrictions on the import of foreign GMOs. In short: let them into Europe and hand responsibility for dealing with them to the Member States.

It is startlingly clear that the European Parliamentary Committee has
completely failed in its duty to represent the voice of the great majority
of its constituents. It has instead reinforced the Commission’s failure to
act responsibly – through banning the import and planting of what have now been proved, by independent scientific bodies of the highest calibre, to be dangerous, life threatening and environmentally disruptive gene engineered products.

We must raise our voices loud and clear and force the European Parliamentary Committee to change its Pontius Pilot abandonment of its democratic duties.
We have no time to waste. A burgeoning Pan European  GMO Free Zone movement is not going to sit down and effectively abandon some 15 years of hard graft. On the contrary, we must take this as a signal to increase our demands for a COMPLETE BAN of all GMO and an end to being subservient guinea pigs to profit and power driven WTO backed agribusiness corporations and dysfunctional European and US/Global institutions.

PLEASE, WRITE TO YOUR MEP-NOW!  AND TELL HIM/HER WHAT YOU THINK OF THIS!

Sir Julian Rose: President ICPPC
Jadwiga Lopata: Goldman Laureate Prize – Ecological Nobel
Pawel Polanecki, Expert, Coalition for a GMO Free Poland

Link to European Parliament Agriculture and Rural Development Committee document:
file in *.doc
http://icppc.pl/sciagnij/2011/01/opinion_gmo_draft.doc
in pdf

Klicke, um auf opinion_gmo_draft.pdf zuzugreifen

If you can donate to our antiGMO campaign please see:
http://www.icppc.pl/pl/gmo/eng_index.php?id=eng_donate

==========================
ICPPC – International Coalition to Protect the Polish Countryside,
34-146 Stryszów 156, Poland tel./fax +48 33 8797114  biuro@icppc.pl
http://www.icppc.pl   http://www.gmo.icppc.pl   http://www.eko-cel.pl

Coalition „GMO Free Poland“
http://www.polska-wolna-od-gmo.org

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—

German activists are gearing-up for a huge demonstration, on the occasion of a high level international meeting entitled „Trade and Global Food Security: Global, Regional, Local“ to be held in Berlin on January 22nd 2011. Poles will be supporting this action with their own symbolic demonstrations all over the Polish countryside.

At the invitation of Angela Merkel’s German federal government, international agricultural ministers and agrochemical corporations will come to Berlin from all over the world, to further promote their agenda of industrialising farming through GMO’s, factory farming and export dumping. They will be pushing for millions in additional subsidies for genetically engineered seeds, chemicals and industrial food. In other words: for factory farming instead of family farming.

On the platform, Pascal Lamy, Director General of the World Trade Organisation will be joined by Marek Sawicki, the Minister of Agriculture for Poland and senior European Union officials.
There can be little doubt that they will be extolling the benefits of the global marketplace for the mass produced, monocultural commodities that are currently laying waste to once thriving food cultures and productive soils around the world.

German activists will be supported by Polish protesters in declaring „We have had enough! Politics behind closed doors is a thing of the past. Now we decide what we eat: Yes to family farms and organic agriculture. Yes to traditional countryside.“

In Poland, ICPPC is spearheading a series of „Support the Traditional Countryside“ activities at over 80 sites in different Polish provinces to coincide with the Berlin event. There will be ‚healthy food days‘ in schools, ‚open days‘ on ecological and traditional farms; films, lectures and local food tastings in cafes and town/village halls. There will even be a competition for the best version of the Polish anti-GMO protest song ‚In solidarity: No to GMO‘. http://www.dnitradycyjnejwsi.pl

Please support the German and Polish effort in whatever way you can. In unity is victory!

If you can donate to our antiGMO campaign please see:
http://www.icppc.pl/pl/gmo/eng_index.php?id=eng_donate

With best wishes,

Jadwiga Lopata and Julian Rose

==========================
ICPPC – International Coalition to Protect the Polish Countryside,
Międzynarodowa Koalicja dla Ochrony Polskiej Wsi
34-146 Stryszów 156, Poland tel./fax +48 33 8797114  biuro@icppc.pl
http://www.icppc.pl   http://www.gmo.icppc.pl   http://www.eko-cel.pl

Przeczytaj – „Zmieniając kurs na życie. Lokalne rozwiązania globalnych
problemów“, autor: Julian Rose http://www.renesans21.pl

_______________________________________________
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—

With Lots Of Love And Light,
Celebrate This Holy Night,

Wishing you a MERRY CHRISTMAS
and a HAPPY NEW YEAR 2011 !

Dear Friends,

So another year draws to its conclusion and with it a certain cycle of
action and introspection. A time when actions can be assessed and further plans laid.

We see a broadly positive conclusion to 2010. This is down to the fact
that some three years of trainings and actions with our ‚coordinators‘
has meant that there are now some well motivated and able activists
operating in most of the Polish regions. Supporting small farmers and
battling to protect the Polish countryside against any incursion of
GMO.. which remains a constant threat.

As a general observation,our world seems driven ever faster by economic greed, obsessive self interest and much superficial political posturing. In opposition to this, we see a growing recognition of the
insupportable nature of this self destructive pattern and more and
more signs of resistance and of ‚taking back control over our lives.‘

Where  this  will  lead  no  one can say, but we will need to become ever
stronger in seeking out the truth and rejecting the lies if we are to make
collective progress towards a better world.

With warm wishes,

Julian and Jadwiga

If you can donate to our antiGMO campaign please see:
http://www.icppc.pl/pl/gmo/eng_index.php?id=eng_donate

==========================
ICPPC – International Coalition to Protect the Polish Countryside,
Międzynarodowa Koalicja dla Ochrony Polskiej Wsi
34-146 Stryszów 156, Poland tel./fax +48 33 8797114  biuro@icppc.pl
http://www.icppc.pl   http://www.gmo.icppc.pl   http://www.eko-cel.pl

Przeczytaj – „Zmieniając kurs na życie. Lokalne rozwiązania globalnych
problemów“, autor: Julian Rose http://www.renesans21.pl

_______________________________________________
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INVITATION

The team of International Coalition to Protect the Polish  Countryside – ICPPC warmly invite you to spend

A WHITE CHRISTMAS IN THE TRADITIONAL POLISH COUNTRYSIDE
near ECOCENTRE ICPPC

WELCOME!!!

Details: http://www.icppc.pl/eko-cel/eng/index.php?id=creative

==========================
ICPPC – International Coalition to Protect the Polish Countryside,
Międzynarodowa Koalicja dla Ochrony Polskiej Wsi
34-146 Stryszów 156, Poland tel./fax +48 33 8797114  biuro@icppc.pl
http://www.icppc.pl   http://www.gmo.icppc.pl   http://www.eko-cel.pl

Przeczytaj – „Zmieniając kurs na życie. Lokalne rozwiązania globalnych
problemów“, autor: Julian Rose http://www.renesans21.pl

_______________________________________________
News mailing list
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http://icppc.freshsite.pl/mailman/listinfo/news_icppc.freshsite.pl

Artikel in der Kronen-Zeitung vom 10.10.2010:

ICPPC – International Coalition to Protect the Polish Countryside,
Międzynarodowa Koalicja dla Ochrony Polskiej Wsi
34-146 Stryszów 156, Poland tel./fax +48 33 8797114 biuro@icppc.pl
http://www.icppc.pl http://www.gmo.icppc.pl http://www.eko-cel.pl

SIEHE INTERNATIONAL!

‚ICPPC 10th Anniversary Invitation‘ November 20,21,22, 2010, Stryszow, Poland.

Dear Friends,

We cordially invite you to join us on the occasion of the 10th Anniversary of the founding of the International Coalition to Protect the Polish Countryside (ICPPC) combined with the International Seminar: „Food Sovereignty and the Family Farm“ in Stryszow, Malopolska, Poland.

We are inviting you to join us in celebrating this event together and to

share your thoughts and ideas about the future of ‚real food and farming‘ – in your country as well.

You will find this a special occasion! A great chance to try delicious

Polish countryside foods – traditional and organic. Participate in a lively

session of POLISH TRADITIONAL SONGS AND DANCE and take-in a concert of POLISH CLASSICAL MUSIC, as well as explore ECOCENTRE ICPPC. We will discuss the future of food and farming around the globe and create together: „CHARTER 21″ – A COUNTRYSIDE MANIFESTO FOR 21st CENTURY FARMING.“

You will find the full programme here http://icppc.pl/eng/index.php?id=493

Your participation will be valuable to the success and enjoyment of our

Anniversary programme!

If you have any questions do not hesitate to get in touch with us.

Please let us know if you can come as soon as possible!

With best wishes,

Jadwiga Lopata and Julian Rose

If you can donate to our antyGMO campaign please see:

http://www.icppc.pl/pl/gmo/eng_index.php?id=eng_donate

==========================

ICPPC – International Coalition to Protect the Polish Countryside,

Międzynarodowa Koalicja dla Ochrony Polskiej Wsi

34-146 Stryszów 156, Poland tel./fax +48 33 8797114  biuro@icppc.pl

www.icppc.pl www.gmo.icppc.pl www.eko-cel.pl

Przeczytaj – „Zmieniając kurs na życie. Lokalne rozwiązania globalnych

problemów“, autor: Julian Rose www.renesans21.pl

_______________________________________________

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7. Juli 2010

Dear Friends,

Here we are in the busiest time of the farming year. Getting in the hay,
weeding the vegetable field and garden, cutting the thistles and docks,
showing visitors around our Eco Centre and – simultaneously – fighting to stop the the incursion of GMO into the Polish countryside.

We started the summer with a monumental amount of rain! It seemed to fall without ceasing during most of May and into the first part of June. Floods took hold all over Malopolska, transport links were cut and many suffered loss of possessions in flooded homes. The fields were saturated and newly sown plants struggled to survive the onslaught.

However, the sun came out in the second half of June and we have managed to cope without undue loss of crops.

As you will have heard, Poland suffered a severe political upheaval when the plane carrying a high percentage of top government officials, academics and army chiefs, crashed on approaching Katin airport in Russia. This area had been the scene of a deadly massacre of top Polish military personnel during world war two – and the double tragedy caused by the air crash was a huge blow to Poles.

There is much about this ‚accident‘ that remains a complete mystery, and a strange silence is being maintained by government over pressure to carry out a full formal investigation. However, it seems likely that facts will emerge that question the official explanation of what happened. Almost no one in Poland believes this version of the events.

A new President has been chosen to replace Lech Kaczynski who died in the crash. It is rather ominous as Bronsislaw Komorowski is from the ruling Civic Platform party which supports the introduction of commercial GM food production in Poland. We are responding by organising „The Great Picnic for a GMO Free Poland“ which will take place all over the Country on the week end of July 24/25. A specially convened meeting of our national ‚coordinators‘ this last week end turned into a brain storming session on how to maximise the effectiveness of ‚The Great Picnic‘ and draw as many of the public as possible into participating.

The idea is to highlight good quality, local and regional foods by inviting participants to bring their own favourite ‚grandma’s receipts‘ and entering into various competitions to expose the difference between ‚real food‘ and ‚unreal food‘. It should be a lively week end!

‚Come senators, congressmen, please heed the call. Don’t stand in the
doorway, don’t block up the hall‘ (Bob Dylan)

If you can donate to our campaign please see:
http://www.icppc.pl/pl/gmo/eng_index.php?id=eng_donate

All best wishes,

Julian and Jadwiga

==========================
ICPPC – International Coalition to Protect the Polish Countryside,
Międzynarodowa Koalicja dla Ochrony Polskiej Wsi
34-146 Stryszów 156, Poland tel./fax +48 33 8797114 biuro@icppc.pl
www.icppc.pl http://www.gmo.icppc.pl http://www.eko-cel.pl

Przeczytaj – „Zmieniając kurs na życie. Lokalne rozwiązania globalnych
problemów“, autor: Julian Rose http://www.renesans21.pl

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Hello Everybody!

Please do come and join us at the Courtyard in Hereford, on Sunday 16th May at 3pm. You will be very welcome – and are assured of a very interesting afternoon.

Please pass this information on to anyone else who you think might be interested.

Hope to see you at the Courtyard..

With best wishes,

Julian and Jadwiga

THE FUTURE OF FOOD AND FARMING IN EUROPE:

THE POLISH EXAMPLE

Presented by:

Sir Julian Rose and Jadwiga Lopata of the International Coalition to Protect the Polish Countryside – ICPPC

Sunday 16 May at 3 pm

Studio Theatre, The Courtyard, Edgar Street, Hereford, HR4 9JR

Tickets ?5 (?3 concessions) available only from The Courtyard Box Office Tel: 01432 340555

www.courtyard.org.uk (All ticket revenue donated to ICPPC)

2010 is Biodiversity Year and concepts of sustainability will be presented for discussion. Biodiversity is the foundation of health – in all spheres of life, and yet biodiversity is now under intense threat from corporate agribusiness and monocultures in the mind of those who dictate

policy. Can we instigate a new agenda to replace the moribund Common Agricultural Policy of the European Union? Can the regions regain their powers and give birth to new localised marketing initiatives? Can farmers and consumers work together to close the gap between production and consumption? These are some of the questions that

will be central to the day’s proceedings.

==========================

ICPPC – International Coalition to Protect the Polish Countryside,

Międzynarodowa Koalicja dla Ochrony Polskiej Wsi

34-146 Stryszów 156, Poland tel./fax +48 33 8797114  biuro@icppc.pl

www.icppc.pl www.gmo.icppc.pl www.eko-cel.pl

Przeczytaj – „Zmieniając kurs na życie. Lokalne rozwiązania globalnych problemów“, autor: Julian Rose www.renesans21.pl

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