No Genes in School

Stockport Council has banned its local schools from using genetically engineered (GE) substances in school meals. Michelle, a regular activist with Manchester Friends of the Earth (FoE) and the anti-airport campaigns, got the issue on the agenda of the Reddish Community Council and persuaded them of the folly of feeding kids GE food. The community council then took the debate to the full Stockport council. Since this happened in the same week as MPs banned GE food from the parliamentary Houses, the Stockport councillors could do nothing apart from agree with banning the same food from their schools.

Several groups are organising public meetings to debate the issue of genetically modifying our food supplies. Manchester FoE have Adrian Bebb, from the national organisation's food campaign, speaking on "Genetics or Organics?" on Tuesday 13 October. Oldham Against Genetics will hold an open evening on Thursday 12 November to hear concerns and build towards getting Oldham council to ban GE food from schools. Full details of these, and other, meetings are given in the Clash Avoidance Calendar.

Elsewhere on the genetic front, more and more affinity groups have been springing up (organically!) as part of the GenetiX Snowball movement and removing test crops of GE food. Monsanto, the major producer and protaganist of GE crops, has been serving injunctions on many of the organisers.

If you are interested in joining in accountable civil disobedience against GE crops, contact GenetiX Snowball and order their "Handbook for Action - A Guide to Safely Removing Genetically Modified Plants from Release Sites in Britain". A useful, inspiring publication for just ś3.50.

Manchester Friends of the Earth (Tel: 0161 834 8221; email: office@manchesterfoe.org.uk)
Oldham Against Genetics ([pls use email])
GenetiX Snowball, 6 Mount Street, Manchester M2 5NS (0161 834 0295, email: genetixsnowball@orangenet.co.uk)