Briefing on Food Safety and GMOs

international | consumer issues | event notice Tuesday June 12, 2007 13:52 by Michael O'Callaghan - GM-free Ireland Network mail at gmfreeireland dot org +353 404 43885

Is the European Food Safety Authority downplaying the health risks of GM food?

Co-hosted by the European Parliament Independence/Democracy Group and the GM-free Ireland Network.

15 June 2007, noon – 3pm
European Parliament Office
43 Molesworth Street
Dublin, Ireland

PROGRAMME

Welcome by Kathy Sinnott, MEP
Independent Irish MEP. Member of the Independence / Democracy Group of the EU Parliament
Member, EU Parliament Committee on Environment, Public Health and Food Safety
EU Parliament Representative to the European Commission Food and Veterinary Office

Introduction by Michael O'Callaghan
Co-ordinator, GM-free Ireland Network

Genetic Roulette: The Documented Health Risks of Genetically Modified Foods
Book launch by the author, Jeffrey M. Smith
Director, Institute for Responsible Technology

Genome scrambling, GM maize and the European Food Safety Authority
Briefing by Dr. Ricarda A. Steinbrecher PhD.
Developmental biologist and geneticist, EcoNexus.
Member of the ETC Group scientific team whose legal challenge got the European Patent Office to revoke Monsanto’s species-wide patent on all genetically modified soybeans on 3 May 2007.

Discussion with the audience

REGISTRATION

To register please call (0404) 43 885
From abroad + 353 404 43885

Due to limited space, priority invitations are being reserved for policy makers and the media.

Registration is free, but we would appreciate a voluntary donation of €25 to support the GM-free Ireland campaign.

WHO SHOULD ATTEND:

MEPs and TDs
Policy makers from EFSA, the EU Food and Veterinary Office (FVO), Food Safety Authority of Ireland, Department of Agriculture and Food, Department of Health and Children, Irish Medical Organisation.
Doctors, nurses, nutritionists, health professionals, medical students.
Farm organisations.
Animal feed importers and distributors.
Food producers and food retailers.
Media

SPONSORS:

Co-sponsored by the European Parliament Independence/Democracy Group, Euro-Toques Ireland, Glenisk Organic Ireland, GM-free Ireland Network, Irish Doctors Environmental Association, Irish Organic Farmers and Growers Association, Slow Food Ireland, and The Ireland Funds.

BACKGROUND

Kathy Sinnott MEP

Kathy Sinnott — who is a member of the EU Parliament Committee on Environment, Public Health and Food Safety — will set the context for the briefing by summarising the Parliament’s rejection of the undemocratic way the European Commission allows GM food and crops to be placed on the market, despite opposition from the majority of member states and consumers. Ms Sinnott is also the EU Parliament Representative to the European Commission’s Food and Veterinary Office (http://ec.europa.eu/food) which is responsible for ensuring that Community legislation on food safety, animal health, plant health and animal welfare is properly implemented and enforced in the EU, and by third countries exporting to the EU.

Michael O’Callaghan

Michael O’Callaghan, who co-ordinates the GM-free Ireland Network (http://www.gmfreeireland.org), will introduce the two main speakers after a brief outline of the biotech industry’s hidden influence on Irish government agencies and news media. The GM-free Ireland Network is a coalition of individuals and organisations collaborating to keep the whole island of Ireland free of genetically modified (GM) animal feed, seeds, trees, crops, livestock, fish and food. With the largest number and the broadest diversity of stakeholder groups of any NGO on this island, its 130 organisational members (and the populations of the 9 Irish counties and 9 city or town councils which oppose the cultivation of GM crops) now represent over 1 million citizens.

Jeffrey M. Smith

Bestselling author Jeffrey Smith, Director of the Institute for Responsible Technology (http://www.responsibletechnology.org) will outline his new book Genetic Roulette, which provide a comprehensive overview of the scientific evidence of deaths and disease attributable to GM food in laboratory animals, livestock and the human population. In his foreword to Genetic Roulette, former UK government environment minister Michael Meacher says, “This is the authentic book on genetic modification that the world has been waiting for. The case presented is absolutely a smoking shotgun that should stop in its tracks any dabbling with GM foods, whether by individual families, food companies, or indeed nations.” Bestselling author John Robbins says, “Genetic Roulette is dynamite. It totally explodes the complacency and apathy that has been allowing genetically engineered foods to creep into our food supply.” And GMO experts Arpad Pusztai and Susan Bardocz write, “Jeffrey Smith’s Genetic Roulette destroys the myth that genetically modified organisms are safe and will give sleepless nights to uncritical supporters of GMOs... It is a real treasure and the most important GMO source book for policy makers, scientists, and the public.” Jeffrey’s first book Seeds of Deception became the #1 rated and bestselling book on GMOs. It made a huge impact and is credited with influencing legislation and changing the global debate on the subject.

Dr. Ricarda Steinbrecher PhD

Dr. Ricarda Steinbrecher from EcoNexus (http://www.econexus.info) will review three subjects: (a) the genome damage found in many GM crops; (b) new evidence that GM foods approved by the European Food Safety Authority are toxic to mammals; (c) the EU-wide call for EFSA to stop using flawed and secret risk assessments provided to it by the biotech industry as the basis for approving the release of GM animal feed, food and crops, and for EFSA to make the related data available for public scrutiny and scientific peer review.

Dr. Steinbrecher is a member of the ETC Group (http://www.etcgroup.org) scientific team whose legal challenge got the European Patent Office to revoke Monsanto's species-wide patent on all genetically modified soybeans on 3 May 2007.

SPONSOR LINKS:

European Parliament Independence/Democracy Group – www.europarl.eu.int/inddem/
Euro-Toques Ireland – www.eurotoquesirl.org
Glenisk Organic Ireland – www.glenisk.com
GM-free Ireland Network – www.gmfreeireland.org
Irish Doctors Environmental Association – www.ideaireland.org
Irish Organic Farmers and Growers Association – www.irishorganic.ie
Slow Food Ireland – www.slowfoodireland.com
The Ireland Funds – www.irlfunds.org