Press releases
News releases and comments from GM Freeze are listed below.
For more information, images and interviews, please contact Leonie Nimmo on 0845 217 8992 or leonie[at]gmfreeze.org
Blog (26 Feb 2016)
The European Commission is poised to issue a crucial decision on whether or not plants created with a range of new genetic engineering techniques should be classified as genetically modified (GM). Due in March, the ruling could mean the difference …
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Comment (7 Feb 2016)
Commenting for an Observer story considering the forthcoming EU decision about whether or not gene editing techniques give rise to GMOs, GM Freeze Director Liz O’Neill said: If this group of genetic engineering techniques escape classification as GM they could …
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Comment (23 Oct 2015)
On 23 October the Guardian published a letter from Professor Anthony Trewavas of Scientific Alliance Scotland promoting the idea that sweet potato’s inclusion of genes naturally inserted by agrobacterium is equivalent to the creation of GM crops. We responded, as …
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Comment (20 Oct 2015)
On 10 October, The Grocer published (behind a paywall) a feature The trouble with GM. We responded with the letter below. James Halliwell bravely entered the lion’s den to summarise some of the key points in the super-heated debate about …
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Immediate release (25 Jun 2015)
Campaign group GM Freeze cites the failure of Rothamsted Research’s genetically modified (GM) wheat field trial, published in the journal Scientific Reports this week, as clear evidence of the folly of focusing public resources on the development and promotion of …
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Comment (9 Jun 2015)
Responding to BBC One’s Panorama programme GM Food – Cultivating Fear (broadcast on Monday 8 June and available to view in the on BBC iplayer), GM Freeze Director Liz O’Neill explains why viewers may have been misled. The Panorama programme focused …
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Comment (21 Mar 2015)
Commenting on the news that Domino’s is selling GM pizza bases, and Waitrose has started stocking GM Hershey’s bars GM Freeze Director Liz O’Neill said: Imported American sweets are bad enough but if Domino’s are making GM pizza bases here …
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Comment (26 Feb 2015)
Commenting on the Science and Technololgy Committee’s report Advanced genetic techniques for crop improvement: regulation, risk and precaution, GM Freeze Director Liz O’Neill, who gave evidence to the committee and is quoted in the report said: The Science and Technology …
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Immediate release (12 Jan 2015)
With the European Parliament expected to open the door to more GM crop approvals by voting tomorrow to allow national GM crop bans[1], campaign group GM Freeze says the UK Government must protect people’s right to grow and eat GM-free. …
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Comment (8 Jan 2015)
Commenting on the news that Environment Secretary Elizabeth Truss had publicly planned GM in a speech at the Oxford Farming Conference, GM Freeze Director Liz O’Neill said: It’s sad but hardly surprising to hear the same old rhetoric from Defra. …
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Comment (10 Nov 2014)
Commenting on the news that Marks & Spencer is stocking six products containing GM ingredients, GM Freeze Director Liz O’Neill said: We have already seen American sweet treats containing GM ingredients sneaking into Tesco and other retailers, but however trendy …
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Comment (30 Oct 2014)
Commenting on an open letter from plant scientists backing GM, GM Freeze Director Liz O’Neill said: Those working with GM regularly complain that crop approvals are ‘blocked by politics’ but social factors, justice and ethics are perfectly valid considerations in …
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Immediate release (12 Jun 2014)
Campaign group GM Freeze expressed disappointment today as the European Union Environment Council voted “Yes” on a controversial proposal that could see GM crops planted in UK fields as early as next year. The UK Government strongly favours GM technology, …
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Immediate release (5 Jun 2014)
Campaign group GM Freeze launched a briefing today that highlights the risk of cross-border contamination between GM and non-GM food crops. Contamination Matters – Why GM can’t be managed at a national level is published in advance of a critical …
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Comment (28 May 2014)
Commenting on the confirmation that the Council will vote on so-called national GM opt-outs on 12 June GM Freeze Director Liz O’Neill said: This proposal is all about getting more GM crops into the ground more quickly, and if it …
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Comment (16 Apr 2014)
Commenting on the announcement that Defra has granted consent for Rothamsted Research to plant an open-air trial of GM Camelina sativa, modified to produce omega 3 fatty acids, GM Freeze Director Liz O’Neill said: GM Freeze opposed this trial and …
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Immediate release (10 Apr 2014)
GM Freeze today urged MEPs to let consumers know what they are feeding their families by voting next week to ensure that GM pollen appears on the label when it’s in our honey. A European Parliament vote scheduled for Wednesday, …
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Immediate release (26 Mar 2014)
GM Freeze is leading a coalition of organisations in outlining the scientific and other reasons why the UK Government should say “No” to growing genetically modified (GM) Camelina in Hertfordshire as early as next month. [1] Rothamsted Research, a publicly-funded …
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Immediate release (10 Mar 2014)
Environment groups today wrote to the Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Minister to condemn Environment Secretary Owen Paterson’s support for growing GM crops in Britain. [1] Greenpeace, Friends of the Earth, GeneWatch UK, GM Freeze and the Soil Association expressed …
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Immediate release (5 Mar 2014)
GM Freeze, the UK’s coalition of organisations and individuals concerned about genetically modified (GM) food, crops and patents, has appointed Liz O’Neill as its new Director. Liz was Head of Communications at the Vegetarian Society, one of the few national …
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