press releases

Greenpeace has welcomed a move by Britain to become the latest government to join a growing list of nations calling on the Japanese government to cancel its illegal Antarctic whaling programme.

Just days before the Japanese whaling fleet is due to resume whaling in the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary (an internationally recognised whale sanctuary surrounding Antarctica), Peter Hain, Foreign Office Minister advised Greenpeace that the Government had written to the Japanese State Secretary for Foreign Affairs asking for an immediate suspension of the whaling programme.

Greenpeace today launched a major campaign to stop GMOs contaminating the food chain and the environment through the 'back door' as animal feed. The True Feed campaign began with a national newspaper advertising campaign featuring chickens fed on GM animal feed. Tens of thousands of shoppers across Britain are also being given information cards alerting them to this new source of GM contamination, and asking them to call supermarkets, chicken producers and fast food carelines.

Belem, December, 1999 -- Using ultra-violet technology, Greenpeace activists yesterday identified an illegal supply of logs in the yard of Eidai do Brasil, a Japanese export logging company, in Icoaraci Municipality of Para State, Brazil.

Officials from Brazil's environment agency, IBAMA, subsequently fined the company and confiscated the logs. The action was a result of the environmental group's investigation of Para's timber industry, lasting over a month and covering more than 4,000 km.

Mumbai/Amsterdam - The site around the former Union Carbide factory in Bhopal, India - where one of the world's worst industrial disasters took place 15 years ago - is still highly contaminated by toxic chemicals, according to a report published today by Greenpeace. 

In its report entitled "The Bhopal Legacy," Greenpeace highlights that the factory site is still extensively contaminated by toxic chemicals such as mercury and hazardous organochlorines. Some of the organochlorines found in groundwater supplying the neighbouring communities of gas victims are known to have been used at the plant during its routine operations. The levels of mercury found in a sample taken in conjunction with local Bhopal support groups in May 1999 from a location within the factory, were between 20,000 and 6 million times higher than background levels which would be expected in uncontaminated soils. Mercury is highly toxic to the central nervous system.

Responding to the news that the Government would not appeal the recent High Court judgement in Greenpeace's favour on the extent of the EU Habitat's Directive, Greenpeace climate campaigner Matthew Spencer said: "This is great news -We hope the Government will now implement the Directive fully. This means putting the needs of wildlife before the needs of oil exploration. Greenpeace can now confirm that we will invest any money that we receive from the Government in legal costs in renewable energy projects in Scotland."

Greenpeace expressed concern over a report published in New Scientist today (18th November 1999) that shows GM crops can produce unpredictable side effects. Research conducted by Bill Vencill of the University of Georgia in the United States, reveals that the stems of Monsanto's herbicide resistant soya beans split in hot climates causing crop losses of up to 40 per cent.

"GM farmers are walking an agricultural tightrope as agrochemical companies gamble with our future. These sorts of unexpected side effects will inevitably come to light as no one knows what the impacts of GM technology will be. The Government has decided to 'pollute first, ask questions later' and continue uncontrolled, open air testing in the meantime. These 'tests' should be stopped and a GM crop ban enforced immediately," said Greenpeace campaigner, Dr Doug Parr.

Polar bears are under threat of starvation from climate change due to melting sea ice, a new study from scientists with the Canadian Wildlife Service concludes. The study, by Canadian polar bear scientists Ian Stirling, Nicholas J. Lunn and John Iacozza, found that the bears' main food source, ringed seals which live on the ice of Hudson Bay, are becoming less accessible because of a shorter ice season.

Greenpeace welcomed today's EU decision to act on banning soft PVC toys for under threes as "a historic step". But the environment group blamed the UK Government for helping to water down the ban so that potentially dangerous toys will still be in the shops for Christmas.

Today's EU decision is the first time an emergency ban on hazardous substances in a consumer product has been proposed in Europe. It means the European Commission has recognised a "serious and immediate risk" from soft PVC plastic toys to children under three. However the ban is proposed to cover only toys "intended for the mouth", such as teethers. It covers PVC toys that have been softened with chemicals called phthalates. These have been linked with various health effects including damage to the liver, kidneys and reproductive organs. The ban will not force retailers to remove toys from the shops for Christmas, and will not include other soft PVC toys such as bath ducks and animal figures which children could still suck.

"We are glad the EU has recognised the irresponsibility of the PVC industry in selling hazardous toys to children," said Greenpeace Toxics Campaigner Mark Strutt, "But we are shocked at the role of Britain in keeping many soft PVC toys on the shelves."

Greenpeace today condemned the Japanese government for allowing the restart of its bogus 'scientific' whaling operations in the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary around Antarctica. Japan's whaling fleet consisting of the whaling factory ship Nishin Maru, three catcher ships and a spotter vessel left the Japanese port of Shimonoseki to hunt whales in Antarctica today.

Brussels, November 8, 1999