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Bean Pole Day, at Caversham Court, Reading, devoted to sharing activities and stall about many aspects of growing crops, was a great venue for a Global Justice Reading stall on the theme of Food Soverignty. We focussed especially on Monsanto’s pesticide, Roundup, as aprt of our campaign against corporatisation of the food industry. Monsanto’s web site says: “Roundup® agricultural herbicides are the flagship of Monsanto’s agricultural chemicals business. Roundup herbicides and other glyphosate products can be used as part of an environmentally responsible weed control program and fit with our vision of sustainable agriculture and environmental protection.” Global Justice Reading disputes the idea that glyphosphates can be part of an environmentally responsible agricultural programme. There is some evidence, now accepted by the European Commission, that glyphosphates may be especially toxic, leaving substantial residues on harvested crops, and is particularly damaging to farmers who use high concentrations on Genetically Engineered crops designed to withstand such herbicides in the increasing industrialisation of agriculture in the world. Roundup is also marketed towards the domestic user who wishes to control weeds on paths and in the garden. Control over its use there is quite lax, relying on the ordinary user to make sophisticated judgements about how to use it. We had a small army of ethusistic helpers, many dressed as Roundup salespeople, with spoof containers appropriately labelled. As always, we engaged with many members of the public and other stall holders during the day, with strong support for this, and other Global Justice Reading Campaigns. A great day, with many new supporters recruited.

NEXT MEETING

Dan Iles from Global Justice Now

Powerful corporations are lining up to seize control over the country’s land, seeds and soil. However, passionate small-scale farmers are fighting back.

Dan will guide us through the main players in the struggle over Tanzania’s food system and discuss the wider context in Africa and around the world.

9 March 2016: Beyond Fair Trade – Stopping Corporate Exploitation’.

Once again the people of Reading expressed their concern about TTIP (Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership) as 70 people crowded into RISC’s hall to hear Nick Dearden, Director of Global Justice Now, speak.

Nick outlined the problems with TTIP and a new generation of trade deals that give disproportionate powers to large corporations but he said “We have stopped similar trade deals before. Three and a half million people don’t want this treaty and if we all join together, we can stop this one.”

Despite the state of emergency in Paris after the bombings on 13 November, tens of thousands of people gathered near the Arc de Triomphe. They brought red flowers to honour the victims of those who have already died because of climate change. Then, with red material, red umbrellas and the red clothes they were wearing, they made red lines to symbolise the red lines we cannot cross if we want a planet which is liveable for everyone.

John Oversby said: “We could not miss the opportunity to be part of an amazing gathering of climate change activists from across Europe, and even further afield, with the common purpose of pledging support for radical reduction in emissions from burning fossil fuels causing our earth to overheat. Our political leaders were under no illusion that we wished for a swift change of direction, including more energy from renewables, and changes in the system that puts corporate profits before careful use of the world’s finite resources. The solidarity of our actions showed that we were not alone but we know that another world is possible. Positive thinking that we wished to share was all around. It was an exciting day.”

Could the challenge of climate change give us the opportunity to create a world that is more equal, more ecologically sustainable and where the majority of people are better off than they are now?  Come along to our next meeting to discuss the possibilities.