Thirteen Greenpeace volunteers go on trial at Cardiff Crown Court on 1 September facing a charge of 'public nuisance'. This charge relates to their part in temporarily stopping a shipment of GM feed off the coast of South Wales last June.
The ship was carrying GM feed on its way to be fed to dairy cows which produce milk for all the major supermarkets. Greenpeace climbers got on board the ship and attached themselves to its sides demanding that the ship turn around and go back to the US. This action delayed the ship's docking for 36 hours at which point the Greenpeace climbers were removed by police.
This direct action was just one part of a campaign that has been running for almost two years, the aim being to close down the last loophole for GM in the UK. The campaign has seen a herd of cows occupy Sainsbury's Head office in London and milkmen chaining themselves to supermarket milk aisles in order to get supermarkets to stop feeding their cows GM feed.
As a result of the campaign Marks & Spencer have gone totally non-GM in their milk and Sainsbury's are selling non-GM milk in over 200 stores.
The trial of the 13 volunteers is expected to last three to four weeks and you can come and hear the trial at any time by sitting in the public gallery of the court.
