Part 1--Percy Schmeiser speaks at Okanagan College in Vernon on BC tour,

Its not often that farmers reach celebrity status and between September 15-20, communities
throughout the interior of the province will be welcoming one of the most celebrated farmers in the world - Percy Schmeiser.

Between 1998-2008, Saskatchewans Percy and Louise Schmeiser have waged a classic David versus Goliath struggle against one of the most influential multinational agricultural corporations Monsanto.




Their ongoing battles have reached such international recognition, that in December 2007, the Schmeisers became the recipients of the Right Livelihood Award; often referred to as the alternative Nobel. The award was presented in honour of the Schmeisers' "courage in defending biodiversity and farmers' rights, and challenging the environmental and moral perversity of current interpretations of patent laws". Since the mid 1990s, the food supply of Canada has become increasingly dominated by genetically engineered (G.E.) foods. The process of transgenic engineering involves the placement of DNA from one species or kingdom into the cells of another. Such processes do not take place within nature or from conventional breeding and the technology expectedly
continues to receive widespread global opposition. Canada remains among a small minority of countries who support such foods and has welcomed G.E. ingredients into our food supply. Canada even goes so far as to aggressively lobby other countries to do the same.




It is estimated that over three quarters of foods on grocery store shelves now contain G.E. ingredients. Most Canadians remain completely unaware of their presence. With the technology having not received any long-term human safety studies,
Canadians have become the product of one of the largest human feeding experiments in history. The foods/ingredients that are most often genetically engineered are corn, soy, canola and cottonseed. These crops represent the foundation for most foods consumed today including soft drinks, breakfast cereals, oil-based foods, dairy, meat and eggs among others.




The genetic engineering of the food supply continues to expand. In 2008, G.E. sugar entered the food supply for the first time, and in early 2009, an industry-led campaign was launched to encourage the future introduction of G.E. wheat.




The Schmeisers visit marks their second to B.C. in the past 14 months. In July 2008, Percy addressed audiences in Castlegar, Vancouver and Vancouver Island, where he urged communities there to protect the local food supply and support efforts to establish G.E. Free Zones (regions that could remain free of genetically engineered plants and trees). Since that
visit the municipalities of Nelson, Rossland and Kaslo have all passed policies that oppose the cultivation of such experimental technologies. The groups hosting Percy on this tour will either be continuing their efforts to establish such zones and/or will be introducing the idea.




Supporters for the Interior BC talks: Society for a G.E. Free BC, Okanagan Greens Society, Okanagan College, FASNO, Shuswap Seed Savers, G.E. Free Kootenays, Kootenay Food Strategy Society, Deconstructing Dinner, Canadian Biotechnology Action Network (CBAN), Grand Forks and Boundary Regional Agriculture Society, Creston Food Action Coalition

Category:

Nonprofits & Activism

Tags:

• GMO
• monsanto
• Percy Schmeiser
• okanagan
• farmer
• organic
• lawsuit

[Amandah01]

Thank you for informing people! You are helping save the earth and save our lives! We all appreciate it very much. :)