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Posted on 8-10-2004
GE-Free Trans-Tasman Day of Action Against Ingham
On 9 and 10 October 2004, GE-Free campaigners in NZ and Australia will
engage in a range of actions to get Inghams to go permanently GE-Free.
The Australian owned chicken producer is the number one source of GE
contamination in both countries. Activities are expected in many cities
and towns across Australia and NZ.
The Auckland GE Action Group will be targeting KFC, as one of Ingham's
largest customers for their actions on Oct 9. The group is planning to
warn customers of possible GE contamination during a protest at KFC
Ponsonby at 12 noon under the motto “KFC – Kentucky Fried Contamination”.
“We are targeting KFC as they are the biggest users of Inghams chickens,
having recently switched from Tegel who are GE-Free” says one Auckland
campaigner. “While we congratulate Inghams for having sourced non-GE
chicken feed for the last few months, they still haven't made a permanent
commitment to go GE-Free”. The protesters are emphasizing that, under NZ
labelling laws, chicken that have been raised on GE feed do not have to
be labelled, which means that consumers are denied the right to choose.
The group are calling on the public to join the campaign on October 9 and
10 and take action themselves. “Everyone who is concerned about eating
chickens that have been raised on GE-soy should put pressure on Inghams
by phoning, faxing and emailing both Inghams and KFC, urging them to go
permanently GE-Free.”
Backgound information on Inghams and KFC
Until May 2004, Inghams have been importing soy for their chicken feed
that is up to 85% genetically engineered. Due to pressure from the
GE-Free movement, Inghams NZ decided in May to order all shipments of
chicken feed until the end of 2004 from non-GE sources. While this is a
huge step forward, consumers still can’t be sure which lot of feed the
chicken they are buying has been fed. And most importantly, Inghams have
yet to make a long term commitment to using non-GE feed.
In Australia, Inghams are currently still using GE-contaminated soy. It
is not difficult for Inghams to go GE-Free – conventional non-GE soy is
readily available on the international market and in 2001 Tegel New
Zealand stopped using GE feed completely.
Restaurant Brands, who own KFC as well as Pizza Hut and Starbucks, and are
one of Inghams largest customers and have only recently switched from
Tegel (who went GE-Free in 2001) to Inghams.
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