Undeterred, the Government continues to “carry on regardless” with its daily idiocies. Today it is the turn of agriculture. If it is true that wherever Attila the Hun set foot the grass no longer grew, then wherever the Berlusconi government sets foot the indigenous potatoes, peas and tomatoes will no longer be grown. On Thursday 28 January, the go-ahead will be given for traditional crops and GMOs to live side by side. We are about to be colonised by the multinationals, mainly the American ones, which hold the patents on the seeds. Coexistence between normal crops and GMOs is impossible. The GMO seed contaminates all other crops via the air, the soil and the water courses. Following pressure from the multinationals, some time ago the EU approved a European Directive that permits patents on living material (98/44) and so began the spread of GMOs and the total disinformation of European citizens. This is one topic on which a referendum should be held. The EU then contradicted itself by admitted that any coexistence with the GMOs is impossible and proceeded to leave the decision on how to introduce GMOs up to the individual member States. Italy in turn left the decision up to the individual Regions, which were unable to find any solution (because there isn’t one) and thereby effectively blocking the spread of GMOs. Now, all of a sudden, without any public consultation, without distributing any information, like a bolt from the blue, it appears that some or other mysterious agreement has been reached between the Regions (via which representatives precisely) and the Government regarding the spread of GMOs. A decision taken without any regard for the affected parties (consumers, farmers, distributors, etc.), thereby violating the AARHUS International Convention to which Italy is a signatory. Who is it that really wants to see the introduction of GMOs and the destruction of Italian agriculture? GMOs must be classified as illegal, and here are a number of reasons why: - they promised increased yields and a reduction in the levels of chemical pollution, promises that have since been overturned (see the C. Benbrook report dated November 09: 10% reduction in harvest yields and 4 times as much pollution by pesticides) - the constitute a health and an environmental hazard - they have privatised the Earth’s living matter, a “communal asset” that is as precious as water - they do not contribute to improving the distribution of food around the world but instead are one of the causes of the worldwide spread of hunger. The world’s population depend on multinationals that are profit driven and cash in on patent royalties (for each and every crop cycle) and whose aim is to control the global food market. The Government is attempting to very quietly pass a law that will ruin Italy, notwithstanding the fact that the following individuals and organisations are against GMOs: - the Minister of Agriculture, Minister Zaia - 41 Provinces, 2,446 Municipalities and 16 Regions - the Coldiretti Association (9,812 sections across 18 Regions with 568,000 farmers as members) - the Coop, the Country’s larges foodstuff distribution chain - foodstuff manufacturing companies such as Barilla, Amadori, Bovinmarche and Fileni - Gianni Alemanno, former Minister of Agriculture and current Mayor of Rome And even the Pope himself who, in the 2009 document entitled “Instrumentum laboris” drafted for the Synod of African Bishops wrote that: "The campaign for the planting of GMOs claims to be ensuring foodstuff security … This technique threatens to ruin small-scale farmers and to kill off their traditional crops, thus making them dependent on the companies producing GMOs ". Write to Agriculture Minister Luca Zaia to stop the GMOs: write to.

Data drawn from Equivita

>>> Marco Travaglio will be presenting: "DemoCRAZYa 2009 – Political diary of a year in Italy" at 18h00 on Friday 22 January at Feltrinelli Libri e Musica in piazza Piemonte in Milan.

SIGNATURE DAY
EMILIA ROMAGNA: MoVimento 5 Stelle Emilia Romagna Saturday 23rd: signatures will be gathered in Bologna, Modena, Parma, Reggio Emilia, Guastalla, Piacenza, Cesena, Rimini, Forli, Ferrara and Faenza. Sunday 24th: signatures will be gathered in Bologna, Rimini, Forli, Cattolica, Cesenatico, Cesena and Modena. (Remember to bring along your identity document).
Click here to find out the times and venues for the weekend: http://www.emiliaromagna5stelle.it/

LOMBARDY
Friday 22nd: Milan – No.2, Piazza Piemonte, in front of Feltrinelli. Marco Travaglio will also be there from 17h00 to 20h00; Varese - c/o the Travaglio Show - Piazza della Repubblica - from 20h00
Saturday 23rd: Bergamo - Via Pizzo della Presolana, in front of the PalaCreberg – 20h00 to 24h00
Cremona – No.42, Via Massarotti, c/o Autobar –Presentation of Civic List and gathering of signatures for Desio – No.6, Via Garibaldi – 14h00 to 19h00; Gussago (BS) - Piazza Vittorio Veneto Market – 09h00 to 12h30; Milan - piazza Cordusio/ Via dei Mercanti – 14h00 to 18h30; Milan - piazza Lima – 10h00 to 18h30; Pavia - Viale Matteotti (Piazza Petrarca) – 10h00 to 17h00; Vimercate – No.1, via Cavour – 14h00 to 19h00; Rozzano (MI) - Red Point Café Yamaha Rozzano – No.55, Via Valleambrosia – Meeting with Marco Travaglio in Rozzano – 17h30

PIEDMONT
MoVimento 5 Stelle Piedmont - Saturday 23 and Sunday 24 January: Alba, Alessandria, Asti, Biella, Borgo Ticino, Borgomanero, Bra, Canale d'Alba, Cuneo, Grugliasco, Ivrea, Livorno Ferraris, Mondovì, Novara, Saluzzo, Susa, Verbania and Vercelli. Details reflected on the Calendar (bring along your Identity Document). Click here to find out when and where to go and sign.