|
|
|
|
|
THE GM-FREE IRELAND MAP
This map displays the location of the eight counties, nine cities or towns, and more than 1,000 smaller areas which have declared themselves to be GMO-free zones on the island of Ireland (as of 14 September 2006).
The GMO-free Counties are Cavan, Clare, Fermanagh, Kerry, Kildare, Meath, Monaghan, Roscommon and Westmeath, together with the District of Newry and Mourne in counties Armagh and Down.
The GMO-free cities and towns are Bantry, Bray, Clonakilty, Cork, Derry, Galway, Letterkenny, and Navan.
|
Click map to enlarge and see county details below
|
|
All of the following sites require legal protection from any contamination and liability resulting from GMO animal feed, seeds, trees, crops, livestock and fish.
The map specifically shows the location of:
|
A. |
County and Town Councils which prohibit or restrict GMO crops;
|
B. |
Townlands with conventional farms which demand legal protection from GMO contamination;
|
C. |
Townlands with Certified Organic farms and food producers which require legal protection from GMO contamination;
|
D. |
Townlands with restaurants which need to source GM-free food from local farmers and food producers;
|
E. |
National Parks and designated ecological sites: Nature Reserves, SACs (Special Areas of Conservation for wildlife habitats under EC law), SPAs (Special Protected Areas for birds under EC law), Natural Heritage Areas, Refuges for Flora, Refuges for Fauna, and Natura 2000 sites (Atlantic Bioregeographical region Sites of Community Importance listed in 2004/813/EC);
|
F. |
The separation distance required to protect the GMO-free sites from contamination by GMO-crops (26km radius for wind-blown pollen from GMO oilseed rape).
|
|
|
|
"co-existence" of GM crops not possible on this island
Detailed analysis of the GM-free Ireland map data makes it undisputably clear that Ireland is too small for any so-called co-existence of GMO crops with conventional and farming.
Scientific evidence proves that GMO crops contaminate conventional and organic crops of the same and related species through pollen drift, seed dispersal and volunteer plants, which may be further dispersed by wind, wildlife, birds, bees and other insects, farm animals, humans, farm equipment and transport vehicles. GMO crops can also contaminate unrelated species by horizontal gene transfer.
A Research Report published by the UK Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) in September 2003 (Quantifiying Landscape-Scale Gene Flow in Oilseed Rape) found that wind-blown pollen from GMO oilseed rape has contaminated conventional oilseed rape 26km away, and has the potential to cross-contaminate related Brassica crops including cauliflower, broccoli, and mustard. So any farmer wishing to grow GM oilseed rape would need to ensure that his or her property is surrounded by – at minimum – a 54km wide buffer zone area devoid of farmers who want to conserve their GM-free status, and devoid of protected areas as well.
This map clearly shows no such area exists on the island of Ireland.
The EC Joint Research Centre's May 2002 report Scenarios for co-existence of genetically modified, conventional and organic crops in European agriculture (which you can download as 1 MB PDF file) admits that GMO oilseed rape and GMO maize produce large amounts of pollen and easily cross-contaminate neighbouring crops. The report also states that for some crops it will be impossible to stop the contamination and that "organic production would not be feasible in a region with GM production". Oilseed rape is described by the European Environment Agency as "high risk" and maize as "medium-to-high risk".
Moreover, the buffer zones or separation distances required to protect conventional and organic farmers from GMO contamination are impossible to define with any degree of accuracy.
|
|
Gene Flow among populations is greatest in anemophilous (wind pollenated) species. If GM contamination has been found 26km from its source, then how far away does it exist undetected due to the sheer impossibility of carrying out such an experiment accurately? Furthermore, since GMO genes often have an increased chance of survival then, even though at statistically insignificant rates in the short term, they will eventually become ingratiated in the wild gene pool. 26km dispersal from a single GMO oilseed rape seed spilled at dockside during unloading from a ship in Galway in one generation could lead to the GMO genes being found from coast to coast all the way to Dublin in five or six years. With more and more of GMO plants surviving from generation to generation, the number would increase exponentially. Small-scale field and lab studies cannot predict this.
The introduction of GMO animal feed, seeds, crops, or trees anywhere on this island would, sooner or later, invevitably contaminate all farmers, cause their produce to require a GM label, make them lose market share, put organic farmers out of business, and terminate your right to choose safe GMO-free food - forever. Any introduction of GMO animal feed, seeds, crops, trees, or fish would also contaminate the island's National Parks and numerous protected areas, whose biodiversity is protected by national and European laws.
The first edition of the GM-free Ireland map was published on 22 April, Earth Day 2005, and was updated with the addition of Counties Cavan and Roscommon, together with Galway City, which declared themselves as GMO-free zones in 2006. The map will be updated again soon as as more farms and local authorities do likewise.
For a map of all the GMO-free zones in Europe, see www.gmfreeireland.org/EUmap.php.
put yourself on the map:
Please follow the guidelines below and use our registration form (248k PDF file) which also enables you to order our GMO-free zone signs.
County councils and other local authorities:
Let us know as soon as possible if you have tabled or passed a motion to declare your area GMO-free and send a copy of the document and any other relevant information to us at this address.
Certified organic farmers North and South of the border:
If you are currently certified organic by IOFGA, the Organic Trust, Demeter or the Soil Association: we already have your farm location in our database, so you do not need to register for the map ó unless you want us to include a clickable link to your products and services (see below).
All other farmers, landowners seeking protection from GMO contamination:
Please register your location on the map as soon as possible (free of charge). The first step is to find the Irish National Grid reference for the centre of your location (e.g. T 099 885) from the instructions on the 1:50,000 scale Discovery Series map of your area. The deadline to register for the first edition of the map is 31 March. Please use the map registration form, and mail it to GM-free Ireland Network, Little Alders, Knockrath, Rathdrum, Co. Wicklow. For enquiries email map@gmfreeireland.org or call us on (0404) 43 885.
use this map to market your GMO-free products and services:
If you produce GM-free animal feed or food, or own a hotel, restaurant, B&B, pub or retail outlet with a no-GM ingredients policy, we can add your location with a clickable link on the map, so you can list information about your produce & services for consumers looking for safe GM-free produce to contact you directly. The first step is to find the Irish National Grid reference for the centre of your location (e.g. T 099 885) from the instructions on the 1:50,000 scale Discovery Series map of your area. Then please complete the map registration form, and enclose this with your cheque for the annual map listing fee of € 49.50 made out to Global Vision Consulting Ltd, and mail it to GM-free Ireland Network, Little Alders, Knockrath, Rathdrum, Co. Wicklow.
For enquiries email listing@gmfreeireland.org or call us on (0404) 43 885.
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
