Oxford Friends of the Earth: GM crops public meeting

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Oxford FoE collects over one hundred signatures on a giant 'news years' card bearing the slogan 'Go GM-free in 2003'.
Present the new year's card to County Councillor Anne Purse outside County Hall at photo-call. Central TV shows presentation and interview broadcast on Fox FM.
Subsequently letter published in Oxford Times in January 2003 articulating campaign objectives. All Oxfordshire County Councillors are set a letter and leaflet asking them to support the campaign.

GM-Free Oxfordshire postcards for constituents to send to their Councillors are printed and distributed in the OxFoE newsletter and to other FoE groups: Thame and Chinnor, Aylesbury Vale, Bicester and Jean Saunders (Vale of White Horse) for the Coleshill veg box scheme.
Stall held in Bonn Square to collect signatures on postcards from public.

Public meeting 'Seeds of Doubt: The experience of North American farmers and GM crops' held in Oxford Town Hall. A presentation is given by the author of a report showing that US and Canadian farmers have not benefited from GM crops. A panel of four farmers representing the local NFU, Organic Farmers and Growers, Small and Family Farms Alliance and FARM gives their response from the platform. Further postcards to Councillors are signed and collected. Article in Oxford Times about meeting and forthcoming national public debate on GM crops. Interview broadcast on Fusion radio. Four County Councillors attend the public meeting.

Bicester and Oxford FoE collect a petition in Bicester High Street for presentation to Bicester's County Councillors.
Thame and Chinnor FoE collect signatures on postcards at a stall in Thame
Presentation to Oxford Vegetarians about the GM-Free Oxfordshire campaign.
Oxford FoE collects more signed postcards at the Greenpeace Spring Fair.

All Oxfordshire County Councillors are sent a copy of the publication 'Now or Never' which sets out the case for a GM-Free local authority.
Letter published in Oxford Times berating the lack of response from Oxfordshire County Council. No response from Council.

GM-Free Oxfordshire leaflets distributed in Tollhurst Organics veg. box scheme. Other veg. boxes schemes who have distributed GM-Free Oxfordshire postcards include Sandy Lane Farm and North Aston Organics.
Total number of GM-Free postcards printed and distributed to date is 1,300.

After sustained campaigning by Oxford FoE and pressure from the public, Oxfordshire County Council hold a public meeting as a contribution to the national GM debate. In a packed County Hall, the overwhelming view of those present is against GM crops.
Oxford FoE presents a giant poster and over 100 postcards to Councillors Anne Purse and Biddy Hudson. The postcards, addressed to deputy leader Margaret Godden, call for the County to go GM-free. The event is covered by the Oxford Mail.

Local parents and children present a loaf of bread decorated with the words "Healthy GM-free food please" to the County Council, together with a letter asking for the Council to adopt a GM-free policy for school meals. Executive Member for schools, Councillor Tony Crabbe, who was to have received the loaf, withdraws at short notice, saying it would be "a waste of my time".
Another 260 postcards for a GM-Free Oxfordshire are circulated in Chipping Norton Organic's veg box scheme. This brings to more than 2000 the number of GM-Free postcards distributed to date.
We conduct an e-mail survey of Councillors prior to the County debate on GM crops. About third of the Councillors reply and there are various opinions within the different party groups.

At the its meeting on 4 November, the County Council votes for a motion that calls on the government to abandon plans for commercial growing of genetically modified crops in the UK and orders an urgent investigate of legal means to stop the commercial growing of GM crops in Oxfordshire. The motion followed a call by Oxfordshire farmers, beekeepers, women’s groups and the public for a GM-free Oxfordshire.

The County Council executive delays until February the report into legal ways into making Oxfordshire GM-free. This will be three months after the Council voted for the “urgent” investigation. The delay may mean that the Council loses the right to object to the growing of GM crops in the county.
In response to the delay OxFoE launches an urgent petition to demand that the Council keeps its promise and brings full proposals to the next Council meeting. About 200 signatures are gathered at the Green Fair.
The petition is presented to the County Council Executive, after councillors are serenaded with GM-free carols.

After more than a year of campaigning by Oxford FoE and others, the County Council Executive votes to go GM-free. Local farmer Charles Bennett says "We can all breathe a sigh of relief now".