PROTESTERS' GREEN LIGHT TO SABOTAGE THE GM CROP TRIALS

DAILY MAIL (London) 
September 21, 2000 
SEAN POULTER 

THE future of genetically-modified farming in Britain was thrown into
chaos last night by a jury's decision to clear Greenpeace protesters of
destroying a crop trial. 

The landmark verdict, effectively giving the green light to
environmentalists to target other GM experiments, stunned Ministers and
angered the 'Frankenstein Food' industry and farmers. 

Greenpeace chief, Lord Melchett, one of 28 defendants who successfully
argued they acted in the public interest, hailed it as a victory for the
consumer and demanded an end to GM trials. 

But the Government made clear it would press on with the several hundred
experiments planned for the next two years. 

Farmers last night demanded Home Secretary Jack Straw guarantee them
police protection. NFU president Ben Gill said: 'We find it extraordinary
that, even with such clear evidence, a not guilty verdict was reached.
This gives the green light to wanton vandalism and trespass.' 

The defendants, charged with criminal damage after destroying the
six-and-a-half acre Norfolk field 13 months ago, insisted they acted to
stop genetically-modified maize pollen from polluting the countryside,
risking nearby organic crops, farms and gardens. 

They used the prosecution to put Government safety promises, the industry
and the experiments on trial. 

The jury cleared them after a warning from the judge at Norwich Crown
Court they should not come to their decision based on whether they
believed GM crops were good or bad. 

The prosecution not only lost the argument. It was also ordered to pay
Greenpeace's GBP 250,000 costs. 

Last night Ministers insisted that despite the heightened risk of direct
action, they intend to press ahead with the trials. 

'If we halted our strictly controlled research then there would be
widespread GM crop planting, without us getting the real scientific
evidence we need,' said an Environment Department spokesman. 

'Our top priority is to protect the environment and human health. These
farm scale evaluations are vital for us to assess whether there are
unacceptable effects of growing and managing GM crops.' 

The Greenpeace members admitted destroying the field of GM maize at Walnut
Tree Farm, Lyng, near Dereham, in July 1999. It was being grown as part of
an experiment by multinational agrochemical company AgrEvo, now called
Aventis. 

Lord Melchett, 52, who farms near Hunstanton, Norfolk, and his
co-defendants planned to take the maize to the company's headquarters in
King's Lynn but they were arrested as they carried out the dawn raid after
farmer William Brigham called police. 

They were cleared of stealing the GM maize at an earlier trial. Yesterday
they were found not guilty of criminal damage after a retrial. 

With two separate juries accepting that Greenpeace was acting on behalf of
the majority of the public, Lord Melchett, a former Labour Cabinet
Minister, was jubilant. 

'Now it is time for Mr Blair and the chemical companies to stop growing GM
crops,' he said. 

The industry body SCIMAC, which has been running the trials, claimed the
verdict put farmers at risk and had damaging implications for UK jobs,
investment, British agriculture and the nation's science base.