Other resources
The following resources will provide you with background information, and further tips on how to run a successful campaign:
Promotional materials for your campaign
Promote your campaign using these GM-Free
Britain materials:
Action postcard: Protect our food from GM contamination 
(PDF† format - 1.7MB) Sep 2007
Our new postcard urges the Government to protect our food and farming from GM contamination. We want to get as many members of the public as possible to send it to their MP. Please contact us to order free copies.
Public information leaflet: What's on your plate
(PDF† format - 3.5MB) Sep 2007
Our public information leaflet can be used to let people know what's wrong with GM food and crops. Please contact us to order free copies. This leaflet is available in english and welsh.
Flags
(PDF† format - 996K) Oct
2002
Cut-out GM-Free Britain flags and instructions which you can use
to make bunting or hand held flags.
Poster
(A2)
(PDF† format - 134K) Oct
2002
A2 sized colour poster of the GM-Free
Britain logo and slogan. Note: It prints on 4 sheets of A4 paper
which can be fastened together.
Poster
(A4)
(PDF† format - 95K) Oct
2002
A4 sized colour poster of the GM-Free
Britain logo and slogan.
Leaflet
(A4)
(PDF† format - 368K) Dec
2002
Introductory leaflet describing the aims of the campaign.
GM-Free
Britain window stickers
Based on the GM-Free
Britain logo design, you can order
these stickers for free.
Background on Government's plans to allow GM contamination
Response to Defra's consultation (PDF† - 791K) October 2006
Friends of the Earth's response to Government proposals for managing the coexistence of GM, conventional and organic crops in England.
GM 'coexistence' consultation - Legal opinion (PDF† - 73K) October 2006
Details of the legal flaws in the Government's proposals.
Step by step guide for England (PDF - 176K)
A step-by-step guide specifically produced to help people to respond to the English consultation.
GM contamination (PDF - 345K) Mar 2004
This briefing describes the minimum measures that would be necessary to ensure that food chains, crops and the countryside remained free of GM contamination.
Contamination Briefings
These briefings are part of a series explaining the difficulties involved in growing GM and non-GM crops together ('co-existence'), and why a strong legal framework is needed to deal with this issue.
- Seed contamination
(PDF format - 56K) Sep 2004 - updated Jan 06
- Food contamination
(PDF format - 55K) Sep 2004 - updated Jan 06
- 3. Gene escape
(PDF format - 59K) Sep 2004 - updated Jan 06
- 4. Bees, honey and GM crops
(PDF format - 57K) Sep 2004 - updated Jan 06
- 5. Liability and insurance
(PDF format - 60K) Sep 2004 - updated Jan 06
- 6. Voluntary GM-free zones
(PDF format - 48K) Sep 2004 - updated Jan 06
- 7. The legal situation
(PDF format - 53K) Feb 2006
Background information on the GM potato trials
The Government has given approval for experimental trials of genetically modified potatoes at two UK sites. They have already been planted near Cambridge, but the East Yorkshire trial has been delayed until after 2007 following strong local opposition. The GM potatoes are produced by biotechnology company BASF and have been engineered for blight resistance.
Unfortunately DEFRA has also put in place weak conditions for the trials. When BASF applied to grow the potatoes in Ireland their Government imposed strict conditions. This led to BASF deciding not to go ahead with the trials.
Friends of the Earth is opposing the trials because:
- They are unnecessary – blight resistant potatoes are already available and are being further developed through conventional crop breeding.
- There is no market – consumers and food companies have rejected GM foods. The British Potato Council is opposing the trials because of concerns over consumer perception.
- They risk contaminating future potato crops – from GM potato ‘groundkeepers’ left in the ground after harvest that can persist for up to seven years and sprout to produce new GM tubers; and from GM seeds germinating as a result of pollen transferred by insects from the GM crop to nearby crops.
- No safety data – BASF provide no evidence of any data showing that the GM potatoes are safe.
- There are more sustainable solutions – GM potatoes offer a targeted techno-fix unlikely to provide a long term solution.
For more details about why we don't think they should be grown please read our consultation response.
In-depth information on how to keep your local area GM-free
Our GM-Free
Britain team has prepared a range of detailed
background information briefings on genetic
modification.
Keeping
your area GM free
(PDF† format 307K) October
2003
A guide to EU decision-making for Local Authorities and National
Parks. Decisions on applications to grow GM crops in Europe are
being made now. This report provides guidance on how to make a
case for exemption under Article 19 of the EU Directive on GMOs
for each crop.
Regional information to accompany the report:
GM-free
Local Areas
(PDF† format - 146K) Mar
2003, updated Jul 2004
A guide to using the law to protect your area from GM crops. Including what 'GM-free'
means, how you can use EU legislation to help your campaign and what your local authority
can do.
GM-free
Britain Sticky Questions
(PDF† format - 37K) Mar
2003, updated Jul 2004
Answers to some of those difficult questions, including
Friends of the Earth's position on GM,
the process of commercialisation and how to get your local authority
involved.
Market
Forces
(PDF† format - 124K) Oct
2002, updated Feb 2004
For the past four years as a response to customer demand
the majority of UK food manufacturers, retailers and fast food
outlets have not been using GM ingredients. It is clear that there continues to be no demand
for GM food in
the UK.
GM
food safety
(PDF† format - 137K) Oct
2002
The safety of GM foods remains in serious doubt. A senior member of the British
Medical Association has called for GM trials to be halted and the head of the Government's GM food safety committee has admitted that possible hazards of GM foods could have been missed.
Economic
impact of GM
(PDF† format - 127K) Oct
2002
The Government and the biotech industry are promoting genetically
modified (GM)
crops on the economic benefits they will supposedly bring. However,
after several years of growing them in the US,
the evidence of the economic benefits is far from clear.
The
farm scale trials
(PDF† format - 113K) Oct
2002
In 2000, in response to concerns raised by English Nature, the UK Government introduced
a three year programme of farm scale trials of genetically modified
(GM) herbicide
tolerant crops. From the beginning, the trials have been criticised
by environment organisations, local residents, and even the Government’s GM watchdog, the
Agriculture Environmental Biotechnology Commission (AEBC).
Gene
flow
(PDF† format - 126K) Oct
2002, updated Feb 2004
Recent research has revealed that the GM crops closest to commercialisation in the UK pose a particularly
high risk of contaminating other crops. This raises concerns about
how GM and non-GM crops can grow and co-exist in the future.
GM
crops and food security
(PDF† format - 120K) Oct
2002
Many people, not least those who live in countries where hunger
persists, believe that a technological fix will at best address
the symptoms of hunger and malnutrition, but not the causes. Many
fear that corporate control over the food chain through patents
and the ownership of seeds may even exacerbate the problem.
The
GM regulatory process
(PDF† format - 77K) Oct
2002
GM legislation
originates in Europe and is implemented in the UK under domestic laws. Currently, new directives are being developed
by the European Union (EU) to introduce traceability for GM foods and increased labelling requirements.
Herbicide
use and GM crops
(PDF† format - 129K) Oct
2002, updated Feb 2004
If GM crops get
the commercial go-ahead in the UK,
herbicide tolerant crops will be the first to be grown. For the
biotechnology industry they offer substantial opportunities for
increasing profits, as they own both the GM seed and the herbicide to which it is tolerant.
Liability
and GM crops
(PDF† format - 152K) Oct
2002
Currently there is no legislation to require biotech companies
to pay compensation or clear up any damage caused by their crops.
If GM food and
crops are as safe as the industry says they are, why won't it
accept liability for any damage caused?
Seed
purity
(PDF† format - 130K) Oct
2002
In order to protect the public's right to choose non-GM food, or for farmers to grow non-GM crops, it is essential that seed stocks remain free of GMOs.
This will become increasingly difficult to achieve if GM crops are grown widely in the UK.
T25
Maize
(PDF† format - 123K) Oct
2002
In the course of Friends of the Earth's investigations into the
approval of T25, serious failings in the regulatory process and
flaws in the scientific research were discovered.
GM-free Europe campaign
Keeping Europe GM-free
(PDF† format
- 587K) May
2005
A key briefing for campaigners on the GM-free
areas petition and how to get support for
it locally
GM-free areas Petition
(PDF† format
- 33K) May
2005
This new Europe-wide petition is for local
authorities and politicians across Europe
to sign, and calls for the democratic right
for regions and local authorities to be
able to decide whether GM crops can be grown
in their areas or not.
GM-free areas - your
right to decide
(PDF† format
- 211K) May
2005
This briefing is for local authorities and
politicians. It introduces them to the GM-free
areas petition and explains why they should
sign up.
†To view PDF files you will need to download
Adobe Acrobat Reader. Visually impaired users can get extra help with these
documents from access.adobe.com.
Images © Friends of the Earth
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