press releases

Spent nuclear waste fuel shipments from German nuclear power plants to the Sellafield nuclear reprocessing plant in Cumbria are about to resume. This will be the first time waste has been transported from Germany to Sellafield since shipments were stopped in 1998.

Three casks of nuclear waste are rumoured to be due to leave the Neckarwestheim nuclear power plant on 23rd April. They will travel by sea to Barrow-in-Furness in Cumbria and then be taken by train to the reprocessing plant at Sellafield.

Greenpeace welcomes NFU/Sainsbury's/MAFF commissioned research into the cost of removing genetically modified (GM) ingredients from animal feed.

The research report, released yesterday, comes after announcements by Asda and Tesco in January this year that in response to consumer demand (1), they will only stock chickens and pigs fed on non-GM animal feed, from later this year (2).

Greenpeace agrees with the NFU that farmers should not bear all the costs of going non-GM. (3).

At 6.30 am today, police boarded the ship MV Greenpeace, in Blyth Harbour, near Newcastle, and arrested six people including the ship's captain in connection with Greenpeace's campaign to stop oil exploration. Police have still not made it clear what the charge is against the Greenpeace volunteers.

The ship had been due to sail to Stockholm at 8am today as part of an international campaign to highlight chemical pollution in the Baltic Sea.

Greenpeace Executive Director Stephen Tindale said:

Greenpeace today applauded the Thai Government's decision to stop the release of all Genetically Modified (GM) crops into the environment and no longer allow any GM field trials in Thailand. With this decision Thailand takes the lead in Asia to protect its environment, biodiversity and farmers from genetic pollution.

Six Greenpeace volunteer climbers today (6/4/01 at 6.30 am) dramatically scaled an operating oil rig out in the middle of North Sea to stop it drilling for oil and fuelling dangerous global warming which is threatening the lives of millions and flooding homes.

The Greenpeace flagship the Rainbow Warrior has arrived at the Kwajalein Missile Range, in the Republic of the Marshall Islands, to protest against the upcoming US "Star Wars" missile test.

The crew includes volunteers from both the UK and Denmark. US President George Bush requires permission for use of their radar facilities to be given by both the UK and Denmark before the "Star Wars" system can go ahead.

Greenpeace today applauded the Government of British Columbia (B.C.) for endorsing a proposal by Greenpeace, other NGOs, logging companies and other stakeholders to protect 20 critical pristine valleys in Canada's Great Bear Rainforest. The government also endorsed a major reform that would end destructive logging practises in this globally threatened forest.

The UK wind industry had a massive boost today when the Crown Estate gave the green light to 18 new offshore wind farms around the coast of England and Wales, with the combined potential to supply one million homes.

Five British Universities were revealed to be conducting research to develop genetically modified (GM) fish for human consumption, in a report in a Sunday's newspapers.

According to the Independent on Sunday, figures from government departments show they have spent £.6m on research to create fast-growing fish for commercial farming, much of it in Third World countries. A further £57,000 has been spent in Britain by the European Commission. Universities conducting the research include Southampton, Stirling, University of Wales, Aberdeen and Edinburgh (1).

Greenpeace today (Monday 2nd April) revealed that Texas-based oil giant JET has been funding US President George Bush's sabotaging of international action on global warming. The revelation comes as seven Greenpeace volunteers approached the 24 hour mark in their occupation of JET's oil exploration rig the Drillstar. The activists have been successfully preventing the rig from leaving Scotland's Cromarty Firth to drill in the North Sea since Sunday morning. JET has now taken the Greenpeace volunteers to court to force them to end their peaceful occupation.

Bush has recently shocked Europe by going back on his promise to cut pollution from US power stations and is refusing to co-operate with the world's efforts to combat global warming saying it is not in the US's "economic interests".