There has been a welcome development in relation to the opposition of the Celtic League (and others) to plans to introduce GM foods and products into the Celtic countries.

At its AGM in Rhos, North Wales, in August 2001 the Celtic League adopted a resolution expressing total opposition to the production of GM crops in any of the Celtic countries. We called for a discontinuation of all test sites and full decontamination measures.

The new Government in the Irish Republic looks set to collaborate with their counterparts in the north to make the whole of Ireland a Genetically Modified Organism (GMO) free zone.

Before the June 2007 general election in Éire, the previous Government supported GMO farming and published a "Report on Coexistence of GM and non-GM crops in the Republic of Ireland" on 7 December 2005. Prior to the re-instatement of the Northern Irish Assembly in May, the Northern Ireland (NI) strategy on GMO was similar if not worse than that being pursued in É ire. However with the appointment of Sinn Féin's Michelle Gildernew as the Minister for Agriculture in NI and with the Greens forming a coalition Government in Eire after the 2007 election, it looks as though campaigners both side of the boarder can finally get the two governments working closely together on the environmental issues.

On its website, Sinn Féin states that:

"Sinn Féin is absolutely opposed to the genetic modification of plants and animals for commercial purposes under the control of the agri-business corporations."

This environmental development could signal the way to how the Governments in the north and south could begin to increasingly work together on common issues, paving the way to a more unified Ireland. However there is still massive pressure on state and regional Governments to accept GMO from the US Government, the World Trade Organisation and the European Commission. In Wales the Welsh Assembly voted against growing GM crops in 2000, but the UK Government nevertheless pushed ahead with its plans until 2001 when it had to stop due to large scale opposition. Wales is now a GM free zone and is a member of the European network of GMO-free regions. The Scottish Nationalist Party (SNP), who are in Government with the Greens in Scotland, also support a GMO free Scotland.

J B Moffatt Secretary General Celtic League.

23/08/07

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