GMO-FREE EUROPE

The governmental network of European GMO-free Regions, the NGO and scientist network and the Danube Soya Association invite you to their joint conference “GMO-FREE EUROPE – Future Opportunities and Challenges” in Berlin. From May 6 to 8 2015, participants from political circles, economists, scientists and civil society from all over Europe, as well as guests from America, Asia and Africa will discuss the chances of a future agriculture without genetically modified plants and animals.

GMO-free regions have been established and proclaimed on all continents of the world, and their number is growing. They are promoting sustainable and regional agricultural production, offering ecological as well as economic advantages.

GMO-free regions are also facing a range of short and long term challenges:
Europe needs a coherent protein strategy guaranteeing the supply of GMO-free feed, reducing soybean imports, fostering agro-biodiversity and reducing climate gas emissions.

An environmentally responsible and healthy use of animal protein resources.
Seed must be remain completely free of GMOs – “Low level presence” of GMOs in seed is unacceptable.

Zero tolerance must also be applied to non-authorized GMOs in food.
The so called “Opt out” revision of the present EU GMO legislation allowing for national bans on GMO cultivation and its national implementation must be followed closely, just as changes planned on the GMO authorization procedure. Free trade agreements such as between the EU and Canada (CETA) and the EU and US (TTIP) must not become gateways for lowering the standards of consumer and environmental protection.

New scientific and technical developments in biotechnology raise questions concerning the present and future definition of what constitutes a genetically modified organism.

All these issues will be presented and discussed in Berlin in May 2015, when for the first time the three pillars of a GMO-FREE EUROPE – regional governments, businesses and NGOs with scientists – will jointly organize a conference.

The conference will include joint plenary sessions as well as separate meetings and a broad range of workshops on the different aspects of GMO-free agriculture, production, trade, retail, and consumption.

Dates: May 6 to 8, 2015 

Venues: The three day conference will be held in the Berlin Representations of the States North Rhine-Westphalia, Hesse and Thuringia, the Austrian Embassy and Hotel Palace Berlin.

Organizers:

• European GMO-Free Regions Network (gmo-free-regions-nrw.de)
• Danube Soya Association (www.donausoja.org)
• NGO and scientist network (www.gmo-free-regions.org)