NSW: Rainbow Warrior arrives in Sydney

AAP General News (Australia)
04-16-2004
NSW: Rainbow Warrior arrives in Sydney

SYDNEY, April 16 AAP - Greenpeace flagship, the Rainbow Warrior, sailed into Sydney
today as part of the environmental organisation's global campaign against genetic engineering.

With the words, The Future is GE-Free, emblazoned on its sails, the Dutch-flagged vessel
sailed in from Jakarta, where it had been monitoring logging activity.

The Rainbow Warrior's arrival at Pyrmont Bay follows recent decisions by canola-growing
states to reject the commercial release of GE canola, a big win for the anti-GE campaign,
Greenpeace activist John Hepburn said.

"Currently, the biggest GE threat to Australian food is from imported GE soy," Mr Hepburn
said in a statement.

"Up to 300,000 tonnes of GE soy is imported from the US each year and is contaminating
our food by stealth."

Mr Hepburn said most of the soy went to feeding chickens.

"Inghams (is) the largest user," he said.

"Woolworths is Inghams' largest customer so most chickens that people buy from Woolies
have been fed a diet of GE feed."

The Rainbow Warrior will be open to the public on Sunday.

It will make a visit to Newcastle, a so-called GE-free city, on Tuesday and is scheduled
to arrive in Melbourne on April 30 before setting sail for Auckland in May.

The Rainbow Warrior, a former North Sea fishing trawler, is Greenpeace's second flagship
after its namesake was blown up and sunk in Auckland Harbour in 1985.

It was converted to a Greenpeace vessel by fitting it out with all equipment necessary
for long range work in the Pacific Ocean, including changes to the accommodations, engine
room and the addition of a sail rig.

AAP sh/sd/drp/bwl

KEYWORD: RAINBOW (PIX AVAILABLE)

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