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Sowing Seeds of Doubt: DuPont attempts to influence anti-GM food campaigners |
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Andy Rowell, 2 August 2000
Article originally appeared in The Guardian and can be accessed at Andy Rowell's Website
Sowing Seeds of Doubt
DuPont attempts to influence anti-GM food campaigners
A leading GM company is trying to weaken a national campaign for a moratorium on the growing of GM crops in Britain by questioning whether some of the coalition's constituent organisations truly represent the views of their members.
A UK representative of DuPont has sparked the behind the scenes row by attempting to persuade four of the largest and most influential partners in the five-year freeze to withdraw their support. The coalition, set up in February last year, now comprises over 100 national trade unions, religious, environmental, consumer and development groups, along with 500 local authorities and 100 companies. In total they represent over 3m people.
The coalition is calling on the government to introduce a freeze on the commercial growing of GM crops; on the imports of GM foods and crops and on the patenting of genetic resources for food and crops.
Now Unison, the Townswomen's Guilds, the Local Government Association and the National Federation of Women's Institutes have been approached by Martin Livermore, an external affairs manager for DuPont UK, asking them to stop supporting the freeze and join an alternative coalition.
He provoked an angry response by claiming that the rank and file members of these organisations might not really support the freeze. "I would ask you to consider whether this position at least truly reflects the opinions and best interests of your members," wrote Livermore to one organisation.
His letter added: "There is a common myth that there is overwhelming opposition to crop biotechnology and food derived from it in this country . . . I would urge you to reconsider your support for a campaign which has - in the absence of evidence - made up its mind, and seeks to prevent the general public coming to its own decision."
"These large membership organisations actually do have a very good democratic base for decision making," says Helena Paul, chair of the five-year freeze. All the organisations involved had consulted their members as to whether to join the freeze. In 1998 the Women's Institute conducted a survey on GMO's amongst its members and last year 8,000 WIs voted on a motion to support the freeze at its annual conference. Unison also voted to join at its national conference.
"The letter is based on insufficient knowledge and understanding of the issues," says a spokesperson for Unison, which has also published a report on GM crops and food production. "The report reflects our policy of support for the campaign, and a policy which is sceptical about the claims made by the GM companies about their technology.
Livermore is unrepentant. "We are not going to get acceptance of the technology without trying to build bridges. I feel it was worthwhile as an individual to make contacts to see if we could get dialogue going."
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