Posted on 8-10-2002

GE Free Rally Confirmed

Auckland 8 October 2002: Greenpeace and the Auckland GE Free Coalition have
confirmed a GE Free rally and march for November 16 in Auckland.

The event will begin at Aotea Square at 12 noon on Saturday the 16th of
November.

“The message just doesn’t seem to be getting through to the Government,
that the majority of New Zealanders don’t want GE in our food and farming,”
said Steve Abel, Greenpeace GE campaigner. “The stakes are very high with
GE – it’s the future of our whole agricultural economy. It doesn’t make
sense to be rushing towards commercial release of GE in clean green New
Zealand,” said Abel.

A GE Free rally was held on 1 September last year, when thousands of people
marched up Queen St in opposition to the decision by the Royal Commission
on Genetic Engineering. “Even more evidence has become available since the
Royal Commission, confirming that GE farming is a dead-end road both
practically and economically,” said Abel. “We say a truly precautionary
approach to GE is to keep it in the lab and use it for ethical medical
applications, such as the production of insulin for diabetics”.

Steve Abel, GE Campaigner 021 565 175
Brendan Lynch, Media Officer 021 790 817.