Here’s the press release from the campaign of incumbent Asheville city council candidate Cecil Bothwell:
Asheville, NC— Asheville City Counci lmember Cecil Bothwell will join activists, farmers, and concerned citizens in the local March Against Monsanto beginning at 2 p.m. Saturday in Pack Square. The event is intended to raise awareness of the high number of genetically-modified foods hiding in our supermarkets and to put pressure on government to place tougher restrictions on the use of GMOs in food.
Monsanto and other big agriculture firms have successfully placed enough pressure on the government so that, to date, there is no national law requiring food producers to reveal the presence of GMOs in their products. GMOs have been linked to the development of cancers, infant birth defects, infertility, and other chronic health conditions. Further, the use of GMO seeds in big farming have forced organic farmers out of the market at an alarming rate.
An organic gardener himself, Bothwell supports tougher restrictions on GMO use in farming, including, but not limited to, a requirement that producers disclose the presence of GMOs clearly on food labels. “The people of this city deserve, at the very least, to know what they are feeding their families,” Bothwell said, speaking of Asheville specifically. “Is this fresh, nutritious, and naturally grown, or is it chemical and potentially dangerous?”
The Asheville March Against Monsanto is one of over 400 being held worldwide on Saturday. Local participants will gather at Pack Square at 2 p.m. before marching down Broadway, crossing over to Lexington Avenue, and then winding along College Street and around Pritchard Park before heading back to Pack Square. Following the march, the event will feature live music and guest speakers, including Anne Peterman from the Global Justice Equality Project, Tom Llewellyn of R.E.A.L. Cooperative, and local beekeeper Dayna Reggero, among others.
Incumbent Cecil Bothwell is running for re-election for another four-year term on the Asheville City Council. Bothwell is an investigative reporter, builder, organic gardener and public servant.
For more information about Cecil Bothwell’s campaign, visit bothwell2013.com
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