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Press Release of the bicycle caravan info office in Rostock
G8-summit: Protest bicycle caravan active against GM test fields
On friday May 4 the Gr8chaoskaravaan - one of six bicycle caravans against the G8 summit in Germany - carried out a protest action against a planned test field with gentically manipulated maize by Pioneer in the dutch town of Werkendam. The caravan finds it outrageous that the municipality has not been properly informed about the test field in advance. It stopped in several villages of the district to make clear what is problematic about these field tests and genetically engineered agriculture in general by means of street theatre and dsitributing info leaflets. Although it was a relatively small and simple action it did attract a lot of local and regional media. One journalist started a investigation in all the shops; no shop owner new about the plans for the field nearby and they all seemed to be surprised and frightened. "This is not very surprising", said Sven, a member of the caravan: "the plants themselves are toxic and lead to stronger herbicide use".
By means of this action members of the caravan wanted to draw attention to the growing readyness by corporations to cultivate genetically engineered crops in Europe. The Dutch government is proponent of biotechnological applications in agriculture, but there is little public discussion about the issue. Pieter, one of the activists who participated in the action, said "It is undemocratic that an international company and national governments stipulate where such a test will take place and not the municipality itself".
"But we are against every form of genetic engineering in agriculture" says Antje, a member of the bicycle caravan. "Breaking through natural borders is not the way to reach a sustainable agriculture. Field tests with completely incalculable consequences for the environment are irresponsible!" Sven explains why genetically manipulated crops are unnecessary: "for the consumer this technology brings absolutely nothing and for the farmers the results in the longer term are generally negative. It's especially large companies such as Monsanto and Pioneer that profit from it. They reinforce their unjust hold on agriculture by making farmers believe that their products are the only solution and by dominating the market".
From Werkendam the G8-bicycle caravan will continue to Utrecht, and from there via Nimwegen to Germany, where the G8 summit will be held in the seaside resort of Heiligendamm in early June. The issue of genetic engineering will play a large role in the protests against the G8.
-- Contacts & informations:
More information about Gr8chaoskaravaan (western europe bicycle caravan against the G8 summit in Heiligendamm) and its earlier activities:
Web: http://dissentnetzwerk.org/wiki/Bicycle-Caravan_%22West%22
Mailkontakt: karavaan07@yahoo.co.uk
Informations about all bicycle caravans against the G8 summit:
http://www.g8-bikerides.net
Bicycle caravan info bureau in Rostock
Knut Rassmussenstr. 8
18106 Rostock
Tel: 0049-179-6268785
-- Information about genetic engineering
http://genet.iskra.net/
http://www.aseed.net/