9 members present, including new member, Fran Lee.
ISDS
We had a successful meeting on this subject earlier in the year, this got a mention in Think Global. We now have a new case that National are encouraging us to support. It is the case of a mining company developing a mine in Armenia. Previous mines have contaminated water sources so there a local community action against this company but they intend to start an ISDS case seeking an amount equivalent to two-thirds of the country’s annual budget.
Trade Justice
The Trade Bill is still going through Parliament. The main focus of campaigning now is on a future UK-US trade deal if or when we leave the EU. The main risks of this are to food safety, the NHS and climate change. We discussed the Soil Association research which points out the significant differences in standards in the two countries and the fact that apparently annual incidents of food poisoning in the US are 14% higher than in the UK.
Action We agreed to write a letter to the local press about this – Barbara
Climate Justice 
The AGM passed a motion that we should do more work on climate in the future.Several of our group attended the recent Climate Change action in cities around the country on 20 September.
Pharmaceuticals
Many of GJN’s policy proposals have been taken up by the Labour Party.
Carbon Capture Public Consultations
A new firm is planning to develop Carbon Capture on Teeside. Next week there are a series of public consultations on this
Action Barbara to send details of this to members so that they can attend if they wish.
Christmas Dinner
The date for this is Thursday 19th December
Action Jacky to find a venue for this.
Our next meeting will be on Thursday 21 November.
