Soapbox for the 99%: when will politicians answer questions about GM contamination and the global control of food supplies?

From a Cumbrian farmer by email:

The way DEFRA minister Paterson et al continue to try and soften up the public to get them to accept something they do not want is, to me somewhat distasteful, akin to a sort of grooming.

He has claimed those who are anti GM have caused blindness in poor communities world wide , but vitamin drops or even carrots would have prevented it.

Never do those in favour answer questions on GM contamination, unfair prosecutions of those whose crops are contaminated and global control of food supplies.

An article in the current Royal Horticultural Society magazine claims there is still a threat that the EU legislation will criminalise gardeners who exchange seeds with neighbours

However, last minute changes were made to this draft regulation after intense lobbying. ARC 2020 reports that in a communique published by the Romanian news agency Agerpres, EU Commissioner for Agriculture Dacian Cioloş declared that under new regulation small producers can continue to freely exchange seeds and register new varieties at no extra cost.

He went on to say that all traditional seed varieties that are already on the market will be recorded in a separate register at no cost to small producers. The Commissioner made these declarations at the opening of the 36th World Congress of Vines and Wine  in Bucharest, adding:

“(An initial version of the draft regulation proposed by the European Commission) has been amended at my initiative, because we wanted to be consistent with the goal of giving small producers new market opportunities. I asked for the introduction of a series of issues into this regulation that separately recognize the production and marketing of seeds by small producers.”

The full text of the draft legislation is here