March 26, 2009
The International Coalition to Protect the Polish Countryside (ICPPC) held its 'Genes Are Not for Sale' conference at Krakow's Wawel Castle on April 25. The date was selected ahead of time to coincide with a three-day biotech industry conference, also taking place in Krakow.
On February 13, 2007, Polish Prime Minister Jaroslaw Kaczynski pledged support for an act that would allow special GMO zones to be created in the country, and the Polish Parliament will debate the issue later this year.
The ICPPC argues that continued pressure to open markets for GMO products is undermining Poland's commitment to remaining a "GMO-free zone," and is concerned that the public is not adequately aware of alleged health and agricultural hazards of introducing such products in Europe.
The coalition's April 'counter-conference' attracted several speakers, including Arpad Pusztai, the first scientist to link liver and kidney disorders to mice fed with genetically modified potatoes, and Percy Schmeiser, a Canadian cereal farmer who blames GMO contamination for an alleged complete lack of purely organic maize or rapeseed in the whole of Canada.
One unexpected participant was Poland's Undersecretary of State and Chief Nature Conservator Adrzej Szweda-Lewandowski, who presented arguments for his support of the proposed GMO Act.
