A friend of mine, Erik D’haese has written a Dutch language article for MO magazine on the current state of EU seed laws. Regular readers of this blog will have seen a lot of it before, but he mentions a few things I didn’t, and it’s really the best article with everything laid out in one place I’ve seen anywhere. Google translate works pretty well translating it into English.
Poland: The Festival of Nature and Culture – Stop GMO – Save Traditional Seeds
This weekend (9, 10 and 11 December) there’s a music festival across Poland to promote traditional culture, seeds and plant varieties, and to oppose genetically modified foods. More than 80 events will take place across the country.
These days of action are being organized by:
ICPPC – International Coalition to Protect the Polish Countryside,
Międzynarodowa Koalicja dla Ochrony Polskiej Wsi
34-146 Stryszów 156, Poland tel./fax +48 33 8797114
www.icppc.pl www.gmo.icppc.pl www.eko-cel.pl
They themselves will also sponsor some awareness raising events in Krakow.
Your Opinion is NOT Wanted on Agricultural Biodiversity in the EU
The EU is conducting a survey on it’s current program of agricultural biodiversity, and you aren’t invited to participate. Participation is by invitation only, and a username and password are required. This program has often been criticized for not allowing sufficient access to farmers organizations and NGOs, or indeed others who have a stake in agricultural biodiversity.
Does anyone not have a stake in agricultural biodiversity?
Anyway, if you feel you have a stake and want your voice to be heard, you might contact them via email at AGRI-RESGEN-SURVEY@ec.europa.eu
A copy of the survey can be found here.
The European Commission, Directorate-General for Agricultural and Rural Development, is carrying out a consultation on the “Community programme on the conservation, characterisation, collection and use of genetic resources in agriculture” to get stakeholders’ views on the Community programme itself and on the topic of agricultural biodiversity in general terms.
You are invited to share your opinion: the questionnaire is addressed to a wide range of targeted representative organisations working at European or International level which are potentially concerned by genetic resources diversity in agriculture:
you will find below a username and a password which enable you to access the questionnaire and submit your answers.
Submit your answers no later than Friday 20th January 2012: after this deadline, the survey will be closed.
The questionnaire can be completed in any official language of the European Union. However, we would be particularly grateful, if you could complete the consultation in English, as this will considerably facilitates the processing assessment of results under conditions of limited resources.
European Agricultural Ministers to Discuss EU Seed Law Changes
Well known for their their very undemocratic decisions made behind closed doors, ignoring everyone else’s opinion, the EU agriculture ministers will meet Thursday to discuss the EU seed laws. This time they have invited public input.
In case you were looking at the agenda hoping to find a place and time so you could attend, don’t bother. You aren’t invited and the meeting will be held in a secret location. When they’re done, we should be able to read about it here.
They have the power to unilaterally change the EU seed laws, and this may happen at this meeting.
How the Netherlands Got Its Cycle Paths
From time to time I read about interest in the US or other places about how Europe does it’s traffic engineering. For example I’ve heard a number of US cities are adopting traffic circles modelled after those in the UK.
A few Dutch cities with particularly dangerous and complicated intersections have apparently pretty successfully implemented the ‘hands off’ approach, and removed all signals and warning signs. This is in the theory that everyone approaching a dangerous situation tends to see it, slow down and be more careful. Apparently having too many signs is a distraction. A lot of attention has been paid to these recently.
Anyway, the question comes up from time to time, how did the Dutch get their amazing network of bicycle paths, which can be found everywhere in the country? If you’re like me perhaps you might think it’s just a natural thing, because the country is so flat or because cycling is so popular. Actually, there’s a story about this, and a lesson to be learned. Here’s a video I found recently.
