GANANOQUE, Ont.-"The federal governments recent booklet on food safety does a disservice to farmers and consumers alike by misrepresenting the facts about Canadas food safety and inspection systems and about genetically-modified foods", said NFU Ontario Coordinator Peter Dowling. He continued: "Farm families are vitally interested in food safety, both because consumer health and confidence in our products is essential, and because we are consumers ourselves. But this booklet is merely an attempt to promote an industry agenda, not a sincere attempt to promote safe food".

The booklet, entitled "Food Safety and You", was mailed to nearly every household in Canada over the last two weeks. It was co-produced by Health Canada, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency. Much of the booklet is devoted to the controversial topic of genetically-modified foods.

Dowling took issue with the booklets attempt to muddy the waters surrounding "biotechnology". The booklet states: "biotechnology is the use of living organisms, or their parts, to produce new products. If youve ever eaten bread or cheese, or used antibiotics, then youve ingested something that was produced through biotechnology".

Dowling objected: "The vast majority of Canadians equate biotechnology with the kind of gene manipulation and splicing that Monsanto and other companies use to produce Roundup-ready canola and other transgenic crops. Very few would equate biotechnology with bread and cheese. How can we believe that the government wants a free and informed debate when it misuses words and confuses the issues in this way? Farmers and consumers alike should be outraged by this semantic dishonesty, by this propaganda".

In its ten-year struggle to ban the genetically-modified milk hormone rBGH, the NFU got a close look at Canadas food-safety system. "The experience showed us how badly flawed that system is", said Dowling. He cited the governments total reliance on data from the manufacturer and marketer of rBGH and the cover-up of the critical "Gaps Analysis Report" in which Health Canadas scientific reviewers raised questions about the hormones safety". Those scientists are still being harassed and silenced while less-qualified, but industry-friendly, managers make decisions on product approval",; he said.

"The NFU opposes the use of this booklet and other such expensive and irresponsible attempts to whitewash a health protection system which serves companies better than it serves citizens", concluded Dowling.

For More Information:

Peter Dowling, NFU Ontario Coordinator: (613) 546-0869

Helen Forsey, NFU Ontario Office: (613) 479-2453