Labour government’s £500,000 public dialogue on GM food could be abandoned after second resignation
By John Vidal
Guardian UK
A £500,000 public dialogue over GM food could be abandoned after a second member of the steering group overseeing it resigned, the government’s independent food watchdog said today.
The Food Standards Agency, which had been commissioned by the Labour government to gauge the public mood on growing and eating the controversial foods, said that it would ask the coalition government if it should continue with the dialogue.
“There has been a major change in government,” said Nathalie Golden, a spokeswoman for the FSA.
“It will need to be presented to ministers. It depends on the new government whether it goes ahead.”
Read full post at Guardian UK
Food Freedom 
The Labour Govt should never had started discussions with the six-member group of companies. They included Monsanto and Dow Chemicals, both are major companies involved with GM industry.
I raised this matter with my MP who later became Minister of Food, to no effect. There is enough research and evidence to prove that GM does not work and indeed, is responsible for many thousands of deaths, particularly in India.
My opposition to GM is also tied up with the fact that both Monsanto and Dow were, along with other U.S. companies, responsible for producing Agent Orange used by U.S. Forces on the people and land of Vietnam with devastating results.
Today in Vietnam alone there are near to 4 million suffering serious illnesses and deformaties due to Agent Orange. In my yearly visits to the country I meet with the tragic victims.
In addition, many thousands died in their mothers womb. Agent Orange has now entered into the third generation of Vietnamese.
Keep Monsanto and Dow away from our food.
The steering group is now in the process of identifying an organisation which might carry out the dialogue,”
That Cough at the end.. I am Gagging- in truth!
the steering group want the 500K Pounds and nothing like a stacked deck ie 1/3 of the board, where NONE of the concerned GM industry or reps should be allowed at all!
Not very independant is it?
Two Honest and ethivcal people.
get the names of the rest and let people know who Can NOT be trusted.
reminds me of DEFRA in the UK they accepted MONEY fro, Bayer, who make the Known Bee Killing chem…to assist them in research, yeah right.
and as a spin off they did NOT declare a moratorium on the use for the duration of the study, which was asked for..
Cos the really odd thing is, that the UK and europes bees are dying off too, and Varroa is NOT rampant in those places, but,
the chemical use IS!
Hillary Benn and a chap called? david? King, are so PRO Gm its offensive, and in positions of power.
Good grief! Thanks for the two comments highlighting the position of UK ministers. How can anyone be in favour on GM/GE at this stage?? No one is saying that this may not have a future benefit, but that it is way to soon to tell since no tests worth spit have been done and science has been replaced by rampant commerce. We have got to get spin away from these issues and employ people, not connected with any of the industries, who can enter into intelligent debate with each other on our behalf. As a comsumer I will never have the chance or the influence to make the changes I want..e.g not to eat GM/GE until very far down the road when this process may be done safely and with a lot more knowledge than scientists have now, and in the mean time we get to be part of the most insidious, underhanded GM crop experiments in history! I want to be able to choose not to eat modified foods and I want to know that the organic foods I am choosing have not been adulterated by modified genes from adjacent fields or blown across oceans on the wind or insects. How can we really tell if this has happened or not? In order to be completely sure, every plants will have to be tested?
umm….the latest I read( industry news )announced that there will be NO PUBLIC Debate included in their GM decisions.
which is what they wanted to start with.
and I would bet same as with the AGW debacle they made it impossible for anyone with the desire for debate and honesty to participate.
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