A note about the General Election
The recently called general election has delayed the tabling of new legislation, but not for long. We will keep the Write to Your MP action open and we encourage you to send your letter to your MP as soon as possible before the brief dissolution of Parliament on 30 May. In addition to writing to your MP, we are encouraging everyone to take any opportunity to raise the issue of labelling genetically modified PBOs in the food system with their MPs during the election campaign (particularly if they are Labour, Liberal Democrat or Green Party candidates). If you are in Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland this is a good time to press your Westminster representative to maintain and strengthen the devolved nations’ opposition to the Genetic Technology Act. Post election, we will be promoting the action to demand labelling with renewed energy with the new government.
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This month the government will announce the next steps for the Genetic Technology Act.
We will very soon be given details of the package of statutory instruments that will be added to the Act make it fully functional. These will include provisions for the production of genetically engineered precision bred farm animals and plants in our food system and for the way that these foods can be marketed in England – and by extension the rest of the UK.
Currently, however, there is no provision for labelling these precision bred foods. Given that the majority of citizens in this country have expressed a preference to see these foods labelled, this is a terrible betrayal of public trust.
The Genetic Technology Act should reflect what citizens in this country have repeatedly said they want, which is to see these foods labelled so that they can:
· Exercise their consumer right not to be misled about what they are eating
· Make a clear choice, at point of purchase, not to buy genetically engineered precision bred foods
· Refuse to support a system of food production that does not align with their values and that they do not trust
Please help put this issue in front of your MP or Westminster representative now by asking them to ensure the upcoming changes in the Genetic Technology Act include a provision for mandatory labelling.
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