Why a freeze?

GM crops have the potential to cause massive social, economic and environmental damage worldwide, yet they are poorly tested and regulations are weak. GM Freeze are trying to change this.

Foods with genetically modified (GM) ingredients were imported unlabelled into the UK in the late 1990s without any public consultation. Widespread public outcry and consumer pressure led UK supermarkets and food processors to remove GM ingredients from their own-brand products.

Today very few GM labelled products appear on shelves - shops can't sell what people won't buy. However millions of tons of GM crops are hidden from consumers in the meat, milk and eggs from animals raised on GM feed. (Want to buy non-GM?)

Despite consumer rejection of GM food and the need for precaution given the many outstanding questions about its long-term effects, the UK Government consistently votes in favour of GM authorisations at the European Union. Patents are being granted that give monopoly control over genetic resources in food and farming to private corporations. This needs to change.

Biotechnology companies claim that genetic modification will "improve" our food, make work easier for farmers, increase crop yields and reduce the use of chemicals on farmland. Yet the need for the technology has not been proven and the promises have not been met. So far there is no convincing evidence of any benefits other than the profits made by the biotech industry itself, while problems like weed and insect resistance are making farming more difficult and expensive. GM has dominated research and development to the extent that cheaper, less risky, viable aleternatives, such as agroecology and organics, are neglected.

Yet when non-GM crops are contaminated, there is no liability regime to protect those affected or make biotech companies accountable for the damage caused by their products.

GM in food and farming also raises many fundamental environmental, social, health and ethical concerns. The effects on human health of eating these foods, and the glyphosate residues on them, remain uncertain, and some scientists are calling for much more rigorous safety testing (see Roundup - Is it safe?). It is clear that further research into all these issues is vital before GM cultivation and associtated agronomic problmes spread any further, along with corporate control of agriculture.

You have a right to choose to eat and grow non-GM food and crops.

GM Freeze is a supported by an alliance of businesses, campaigns and individuals. If you agree with our aims, join us now.