This is a seminar for UK and European Civil Society Organisations, NGO’s, Social Movements and allies to share information and strategise.When ? : 12th July 2005, 11am – 3pm (Lunch will be available).
Where ? : Pesticide Action Network,
56-64 Leonard Street, London,
EC2A 4JX
about a 5-min walk from Old Street tube.
For ? : This is a seminar for UK and European Civil Society Organisations, NGO’s, Social Movements and allies to share information and strategise.
Why ? : For the last few years civil society organisations and people’s movements concerned with the food, agriculture and justice implications of new technologies have focused very effectively on resisting genetically engineered crops and foods around the world.
While this resistance remains crucial, the technological frontier has moved on and agribusiness and the food corporations are now starting to leverage new molecular technologies to increase their profit and control over the food and materials chain : in particular nanotechnologies, genomics and more advanced biotechnologies.
What ?:This seminar is an opportunity to become acquainted with the new technological landscape, the emerging new technology politics that accompanies it and move forward on specific proposals to exercise democratic control over these new technologies – through the promotion of the concept of Technology Democracy – before they impact our food chain and livelihoods, especially in the Global South.
The second half of this seminar will be taken up with 2 specific campaign strategy discussions – about the new international campaign to ban Terminator (sterile seed) technologies and a discussion on how UK civil society organisations can join with European partners to influence the new six year Euros 43 billion European Research Framework Programme 7, which proposes heavy investments in biotech, genomics, nanotech, nuclear energy etc.
Chair : Kate Raworth Oxfam GB
Speakers/Topics :
Technology Convergence – The New Technology Agenda
Jim Thomas ETC Group
Nanotechnologies in Food and Agriculture
Olaf Bayer Corporate Watch
Nutrigenomics
Tom Macmillan Food Ethics Council
Ban Terminator Campaign (Sterile Seed Technology) –
Dr Ricarda Steinbrecher Econexus
Introduction to the New EU Framework Programme (FP7) –
Laurence Vandewalle European Greens
How Civil Society is Trying to Influence European Research
Claudia Neubauer Science Citoyennes
For more information and to confirm attendance (limited numbers) contact
Rachel Sutton co-ordinator UK Food Group :
PO Box 100, London,
UK, SE1 7RT
T : 44 (0) 207 523 2369
F : 44 (0) 207 620 0719
E : rachel@ukfg.org.uk [1]
W : www.ukfg.org.uk [2]