By Jodie Bruning, Tauranga, 22 December 2010

 

There is a piece of legislation going through NZ parliament at the moment called the Food Bill. There is not much information in the media because the media aren't or can't talk about it. It will be snuck through faster than a greasy pig while we are on holidays in January. We need action now to get 50,000 signatures - already nearly 13,000 have signed - not enough and we potentially have less than TWO WEEKS.

 

Some parts of this bill involve change that is good. But some parts are completely insane/horrendous and have the potential to compromise your health in the future, because they reduce the ability for small food producers produce and give away/sell seeds and food. And it would be policed by Food Officers, not needing a warrant, not government employees, & apparently having immunity from civil or criminal prosecution! This is in the legislation!

 

 

And what is different about this legislation as it comes under an international rule called 'Codex' or ''Codex Alimentarius'. If we go along with Codex NZ then CAN'T CHANGE the legislation in future. This is what is really apalling about this. It is not Common Law, it is Napoleonic Code. It hasn't happened before with food and is a quiet part of Codex that most people don't realise. We would actually have to get out of the W.H.O. to change this legislation if we didn't like it - which is just not a thing

governments do. We would be stuck.

 

So we need to take time on this legislation, not fast track it through at Christmas time.

 

What's really shocking about this is that these rules are developed to say we need 'food safety'. (Because we all know home grown veggies are worse from us than mass produced stuff?!?) But what they really mean is to get rid of little producers, little growers and keep the growing of food in the hands of the big companies. Codex wasn't designed by governments and independent think tanks it was developed by mega corporations - pharmacy, agribusiness, chemical. These laws were NOT initially drafted by the NZ government, but by lawyers employed by big international corporates.

 

 

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