Sunday, June 3, 2007

Media G8Way – International Press Group

Today, at least three related actions have been announced by activists
to address unsustainable agricultural practices determined or heavily
influenced by the G8. Contrary to the rhetoric of fighting poverty and
hunger that accompanies every G8-summit, the rich, industrialized
countries are pursuing destructive, extreme neoliberal agricultural and
fishing policies that lead to more displacement, hunger, and rapidly
growing inequality. The profits of these policies go mainly to
multinational companies and large commercial farmers. Corporations from
the North like Monsanto and Bayer are taking over the genetic resources
of the South by using ‘intellectual property rights’ and try in this way
to gain control of food production. Monocultures and factory farming
have catastrophic consequences for natural resources like the soil,
water, or biodiversity. Additionally, the quality and safety of food
suffers significantly.

Protest march from the University Rostock to the New Market

10.00 Prelude (Faculty for Agricultural and Environmental Science,
University Rostock)

10.30 Start (Faculty for Agricultural and Environmental Science,
University Rostock)

11.30 Protest march

12.30 Final gathering

Rally and march from Rostock to Gross Luesewitz
13.30 Start of Rally at location of the final gathering of the morning
march. There will be several stations with info and creative actions in
relation to the G8 and global agriculture: grain silos in the port of
Rostock, strawberry plantation with questionable employment practices,
factory farm, fast-food restaurant, institute for animal tests, food
discount market, and more
People are expected to participate in the rally by foot, rollerblade,
bicycle, tractor, car and bus. However, there is a regional train that
goes to Gross Luesewitz every hour.

Gathering and village party in Gross Luesewitz
13.00: Colorful protest against the local ‘Agro-Bio-Technikum’ and its
controversial GMO-research and field trials. The protest will include
stage performances, information stands, action stands, food stands,
street theatre performances, games, music and much more.

Info and contact for Global Agricultural Day of Action:

www.g8-landwirtschaft.net

Aktionsnetzwerk globale Landwirtschaft: Pia Eberhardt, Tel.: 0561-8907561

Anne Schweigler, mobil: 0162-5237137

Georg Janßen, AbL-Bundesgeschäftsführer, Tel. 04131-407757, mobil:
0170-4964684

Annemarie Volling, Gentechnikfreie Regionen, Tel.04131-400720, mobil:
0160-96760146

FIAN Deutschland (FoodFirst Informations- und Aktionsnetzwerk): Roman
Herre Tel.: 0170-6419185; r.herre@fian.de

Arbeitsgemeinschaft bäuerliche Landwirtschaft (AbL): Bernd Voß Tel.:
0173-91350 92; dibbern-voss@t-online.de

At the beginning of June 2007, the governments of the seven most
important industrialized countries and Russia will meet for the ‘G8
Summit’ at the Baltic seaside resort of Heiligendamm, Germany. In recent
years a rising tide of international resistance against this
self-appointed informal world government and its agenda of neoliberal
globalization has forced it’s meetings into further secluded areas,
employing security forces of historical proportion.