Greenpeace welcomes verdict and calls on government to end GM farm experiments
Twenty-eight Greenpeace volunteers were acquitted today of criminal damage at Norwich Crown Court. The volunteers had gone on trial on September 4th on charges relating to a Greenpeace action at Lyng, Norfolk, on 26th July, 1999, where part of an experimental crop of genetically modified (GM) maize was cut down and sealed in bags as part of a campaign to prevent genetic contamination of the environment.
Speaking immediately after the verdict, Peter Melchett, Executive Director of Greenpeace, said: "We're extremely happy with the verdict which totally vindicates our campaign to prevent genetic pollution of the environment. We are delighted that an English jury was convinced that the Greenpeace volunteers were rightly acting to protect property and the environment when they cut down and bagged the crop of GM maize. We now call on Government to end the GM farmscale trials before any further genetic pollution of the environment occurs."
Peter Melchett continued: "Greenpeace wanted to remove the GM maize in Norfolk because we believe that GM crops will inevitably contaminate the environment. The Government's own commissioned advisors - the John Innes Centre - told them that contamination was inevitable but they chose to ignore that advice. Since July 1999, crops of cotton in Greece have been found to have been contaminated by GM cotton and have had to be destroyed, the same has happened to oil seed rape and soya crops in France, and hundreds of fields of oil seed rape were contaminated in the UK and had to be destroyed.
The Government is currently reviewing separation distances imposed between GM crops and other similar crops - separation distances which we said were completely inadequate when we took action in July 1999. As a result of the GM contamination that has occurred this year, and the subsequent review of these buffer zones, a Government Minister has now been forced to admit that the Government may have to order the de-flowering of GM oil seed rape crops which are currently being planted, before they flower next spring."
Peter Melchett concluded: "The GM maize at Lyng was designed to be fed to animals, in the production of beef, milk and other dairy products like butter and cream. There is still GM material being used to feed farm animals in the UK, but retailers such as Iceland have already announced that none of their 'own-brand' meat or dairy products will come from animals fed on GM crops. Greenpeace expects other major supermarket chains like Tesco and Asda to follow suit over the next few weeks. Once this happens, the food chain in the UK will be GM-free. In these circumstances the Government must stop promoting the growing of GM crops so that British farmers can continue to sell products uncontaminated with GM."
