Contact/Cyswllt:  Sian Cliff
02920 898342 / sian.cliff@wales.gov.uk

The chair of the Assembly’s sustainability committee is today exposing Assembly hypocrisy on GM foods. Despite the Labour-Plaid Government’s official policy of “maximum restrictions”, the Assembly canteen is selling dozens of GM products every single day.

A poster near the entrance of the canteen used by staff and Assembly Members in Crickhowell House, warns that “some of ingredients come from genetically modified soya and/or maize”. Mick Bates AM discovered the poster whilst walking out of the canteen with his morning coffee this Wednesday.

Mr Bates, Welsh Lib Dem AM for Montgomeryshire and the Assembly’s leading environmentalist, said:

“This is a classic case of do as we say not as we do. All parties in the Assembly are rightfully proud of our record in standing up to GM crops. In fact it’s one of the defining stands that the Assembly has taken on a cross-party basis.

“Yet here we are serving GM-contaminated food in our own canteen. What must visitors think when they eat here? The last place in Wales you should expect to be served GM food is at the Assembly. It’s just plain hypocrisy.

“I was buying fair-trade coffees from the canteen coffee shop one morning this week when I discovered the poster. As someone who has long campaigned for a GM-free Wales, I couldn’t believe it.

“All parties agreed to restrictive policies on GM crops yet in the Assembly itself you have to specify if you want product that does not have traces of GM. To my mind that is an impossible task.

“All gravies, sauces, curries and even traditional Welsh cawl may have traces of soya and maize containing GM. That supposed choice for a non GM food is a false choice. It quite simply doesn’t exist for the majority of food served in canteens.

“I demand that the Assembly Commission – responsible for the day to day running of the Assembly – sets new anti-GM conditions for food served there. There are already positive policies on selling Welsh and Fair-Trade food and drink. As a matter of urgency I expect the Commission to set similar conditions against GM products.

“It’s time now that the Labour-Plaid government re-asserted it’s position on GM, to demonstrate to the people of Wales that they can still have faith in the Assembly to stand up against GM crops.”



End / Diwedd