Meet José Bové!

Posted by Dave at 04:40 PM, January 26, 2005

© Greenpeace/Cobbing

Travelling on board the Esperanza is French farmer José Bové, a man famous across France, and known around the world for his audacious acts. Back in the seventies, he campaigned against the French government, when they tried to turn the beautiful plateau of Larzac in the South of France, to turn it into an military base. Since then, he's organised a "Ploughing the Champs Elysee" in Paris against EU set-aside policy, and grazed sheep under the Eiffel Tower. He's managed to acquire the affectionate nickname 'Asterix' - on account of his impressive moustache, and his penchant for fighting for what he believes in.

More recently, José's focussed on the growing problem of GE crops and malbouffe - "bad food". In 2001, he led an invasion of farmers into Monsanto's offices - uprooting genetically modified corn and soya bean plants along the way. In 1999, he was jailed for his part in the dismantling of a newly built McDonalds by a wide group of activists, in Millau, France.

José's no stranger to Greenpeace. He was on board the Rainbow Warrior in 1995, when it sailed to Murorua to protest against French nuclear testing. And he was almost on board The Golden Lion - the ship carrying GE soya animal feed to France. We had planned to get him on board the cargo ship as a classic Greenpeace-style activist, kitted out in overall in climbing gear. Sadly, due to the weather conditions, it wasn't to be.

Instead, I've asked him why he decided to join us on the Esperanza, for this anti-GMO (genetically modified organism) campaign:

"I'm here as a farmer. I've been fighting against GMOs for several years, especially against their use in agriculture. GMOs are bad for all the farmers of the world, north and south - GMO means patents on seeds. And patents on seeds means that farmers lose their independence, because they have to buy their seed every year from the big corporate multinationals. I'm also fighting against GMOs because other forms of agriculture are impossible if genetically engineered crops are allowed to spread through the countryside."

"Coexistence between GMOs and traditional agriculture is just not possible. GMOs are dangerous for biodiversity, because we don't know what could happen if pollination occurs between GMOs and natural crops, or when GMOs spread through the soil's microorganisms.

"I'm doing this to mobilise civil society in France and throughout Europe because, I believe that we can win this battle against the transgenic world!"

Thanks José!

- Dave

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