Altea, first zone in the community of Valencia free of transgenic
With unanimity of all political parties of the councilor's agriculture was the main independent party approved a motion to declare Altea, a traditional agricultural village as GM-free zone.
Transgenics are obtained through genetic engineering that allows you to create plants, animals and micro-organisms by manipulating their genes.
This technology is not a simple extension of traditional agriculture to allow cross the species barrier, creates living beings that could not be obtained in nature or with traditional techniques of genetic improvement. Furthermore, current scientific knowledge is not sufficient to predict the evolution and interaction with other living organisms of these once released into the environment.
In Altea there wasn’t a council of agriculture, although a large population with agricultural and fishing tradition did. A small independent party (Citizens for Altea) requested its creation in order to preserve the little garden that has left the building in coastal areas.
Motion for the city
Carolina Punset Bannel, councilor of the City Council of Agriculture in Altea, shows:
The release of genetically modified organisms (known as GMOs or transgenic) into the environment poses a risk to biodiversity and health, and may cause unpredictable and irreversible effects on ecosystems affected by genetic pollution.
It is a fact that the cultivation of genetically modified organisms is a significant risk of contamination to the flora and fauna if these crops are not subject to confinement. The inability to control in outdoor crops through cross pollination, the crop with natural or genetically modified animals to know what human consumption have been fed GM food determines the inability to control pollution in the entire food chain, elimination facts of the principle of free choice and the questioning of citizens' right to food security.
It has been found that the introduction of transgenic maize involves the disappearance of short-term cultivation of organic corn, assuming a grave threat to agriculture in a bid to quality, more environmentally responsible.
In 2004, Spain has become part of the 14 countries (mostly developing) in the world with more than 50,000 hectares under GM. And it is the only EU country with land sown with genetically modified seeds for commercial purposes (Germany and France have only some pilot hectares). Transgenic maize has been banned in many countries of the European Union, like France, Austria, Hungary and Greece on the basis of scientific evidence about its environmental impacts and their uncertainties about public health. And more than 180 regions and 4500 local authorities throughout the EU have already taken steps to request a ban on the cultivation of GMOs in their territory.
Expansion and generalization crop of genetically modified organisms is a likely horizon for agriculture and the entire state if nothing is done, applying the precautionary principle, urgent and appropriate to the seriousness of the facts by local, regional and state in their area of competence.
For all the foregoing, we propose to the plenary of the City Council the adoption of the following:
Agreement
Declaring the Municipality as GMO Free Zone, including the following aspects:
1. Talk about the situation of food and GM crops and to position itself against the introduction of GMOs and their experimental and commercial cultivation.
2. Agree to make public opposition to this municipality environmental release of transgenic varieties and food.
3. Agree to perform the necessary steps to ensure that the establishments under the City was not expended or serving food or drinks that contain ingredients derived from GMOs.
4. Agree to promote the private sale of food located in the municipality that does not serve or sell food or genetically manipulated products.
5. Agree to promote the farmers of the municipality betting strategies for sustainable farming, avoiding the cultivation of GM.
6. Encourage the creation of an indigenous seed bank in the area.
7. Agreed to ask the Diputación Provincial de Alicante undertake the necessary steps to declare as Alicante Region or province from Curitiba and its integration into the European Network of GMO Free Regions.