100 people destroy GM crop
March 9 2002 -
Undercurrents travelled to Long Marston to record over 100 campaigners destroy a crop of Genetically Modified oilseed rape at Forest Farm. 2002 is the final year of the farm scale GM trials in Britain.

Last year a survey carried out in the village showed that the majority of residents do not want GM crops. Letters have been written to MPs, Local Authorities, and the farmer himself asking for the trial to be stopped.

Local people have attended a public meeting at the time of sowing in October to demand action from the Government and Aventis, the biotech company who manufacture the GM crops. The trial has even reported to the police for the criminal damage that could be caused through contamination of neighbouring crops rendering them unsaleable.

Police were unsure of their role as they watched and videotaped people as they pulled up plants, played samba, waved flags, and spoke to the media. Eventually five arrests were made for criminal damage. Despite Sky news, ITN, undercurrents and Central news being present, the BBC were noted by the absence. Apparently two trees blown over by gales were more newsworthy.

Link to Campaign groups
www.geneticsaction.org.uk/linksContacts
www.corporatewatch.org
www.gm-info.org.uk

All five people who had been arrested for criminal damage were released the same evening, on police bail and without being charge at this time. They are due to return to Leamington Spa police station on the 11th April to hear whether they will face charges.

Hoorah.. and congrats to all involved (with obvious exceptions - you know who you are!)

..

>> NEWS FLASH!!

MAIZE TRIAL TO BE ANNOUNCED TOMMOROW!!!

DORSET FARMER PULLS OUT - 6 LESS TRIALS!!!

<< WWW.GENETICSACTION.ORG

Arrived at Stratford town hall 10.30 Saturday morning, only to find a notice "venue changed" new venue was King Edward 7th School, which thankfully was only just around the corner.

Setting up of stalls was well underway, with organisations such as, Henry Doubleday Research Association [HDRA], Genetic Engineering Network [GEN], Totness Genetics Group [TOGG], Friends of the Earth [FOE], The Green Party, and many others represented.

I was soon put to work assisting with making holes in the corners of mounted "GM - Inside" posters, these were to be hung on the perimeter fence of the GM trial site. Main attractions inside the hall at this point were a huge bee, on loan from FOE which was being assembled, and also a large strand of multi-coloured DNA, both of which are beyond any short description, but were definitely works of art.

Lunchtime was beckoning, but no sign of "Veggies & Rainbow" the folk doing the food. They arrived in the nick of time and set up very promptly. The food was excellent and virtually all home baked.

I had arranged to meet Gerald Miles, Organic farmer from St Davids, Pembrokeshire,[he spoke at the rally in Inverness last August] and leading light in the GM Free Cymru campaign. It was 12 noon and the speakers were about to start, I wondered if Gerald would manage to make it in time, scanning the hall once more, there he was, complete with GM Free Cymru placard, and dressed in GM Free Cymru polo shirt. I made favourable comments on both, at which point he laid down the placard and began lifting the polo shirt, to reveal a "Munlochy GM Vigil" T-shirt!

Gerald and I managed to get front row seats, and were catching up on all things GM, at which point we were treated to a piece of wonderful street theatre. The man from Aventis, tried to persuade the unsuspecting farmer of the benefits of GM seeds by showing her a small container of sprouting seeds, which she could plant in a small corner of a field, and she would eventually gain great benefit from, she agreed reluctantly, at which point the man from Aventis produced a long piece of ivy which he ensnared the farmer with, before producing a contract approximately 6 feet long, and with very small print, which she had to sign. Exit Aventis man, enter confused consumers, they began to ask the farmer all sorts of questions whilst inspecting the contract she had been left holding. One consumer complete with shopping basket exclaimed "so this is why this fish looks like a ham" they helped the farmer from the ensnaring Ivy, and declared they would take action to stop this GM madness. Huge applause.

The hall was now filled with approximately 200 people. First speaker was Becky Price from Gene Watch, followed by Dr John Latham, a Genetic Scientist, who gave a brief talk on the complexity of genetic engineering, concluding that it is not possible to say that inserting a piece of foreign DNA in a certain place in a host would result in any kind of stability within that host. Next up was Dr Christian [sorry failed to get his surname] who explained how GM technology would reduce bio-diversity, and how traditional farming methods in the developing world helped to maintain bio-diverse systems. Final speaker was Helena Paul from Econexus, Helena gave a fascinating talk on how Trans-National Corporations [TNCs] have been allowed to evolve into organisations that are not accountable to anyone and whose sole purpose was to make as much money as possible. Tracing their evolution back to the East India Company [EIC] in the early 1800's, when the then stakeholders of the EIC reneged on their responsibilities for the company. One of the results being, that today we have TNC with more human rights than humans, dictating to governments what they will and wont do.

Rowan Tilly, [also at Inverness last August] gave a quick resume on plans for the rally at Long Marston. We departed to the tunes of a samba band and marched across Stratford to the buses awaiting us.

Upon arrival at Long Marston many folk donned white de-contamination suits. Once the giant bee was re-assembled after it's journey in the bus hold, and the samba band tuned up, we were on our way towards the village hall. Shortly before the procession reached the village hall about six folk carrying bio-hazard flags split off from the main group, and followed a public footpath. This was the signal for those who wished to "visit" the trial site. Approximately 80 folk made their way along the path, upon reaching the GM field they were met by a dozen police who handed out notices asking people to stay on the footpath. "GM Inside" signs were hung on the fence. There was a short delay before about 60 of the suited folk entered the field and began to remove the GM oilseed rape, to much cheering from the rest of the group. The police stood by for about half an hour before entering the field, as they approached the line of kneeling de-contaminators some made a quick getaway while others, two initially, were not so lucky. Some folk re-grouped and continued with the work in hand, while others maintained a course back to the village hall. The samba band arrived, which appeared to give encouragement to those still in the field. Some more police arrived and entered the field, at which point the "gardeners" linked arms and took a bow towards the police, the samba band and the rest of the folk on the field perimeter, this was swiftly followed by a variation of the Mexican wave. As the police approached folk dispersed once more, another 4 people were removed from the field, three taken away to police vehicles, whilst one young female was placed at the edge of the field and asked to stay there. She was very naughty, and re-entered the field to begin removing more of the offending plants, a policeman approached her again, at which point she decided that she would leave the field.

About 2 hours were spent on the field, gardeners, media and police can be very satisfied that there was no violence, or even slight unplesantness at any time. Those arrested were taken to Leamington Spa police station. The rest of us made our way back to Long Marston village hall, where ladies from the Womens Institute [WI] were serving tea, coffee and home made cakes etc. The buses arrived at 5.30 to take us back to Stratford.

Gerald and I were invited to stay with Kate and family in Leamington Spa. We were treated to a splendid meal before setting off to see what was happening to the "Long Marston 5" detained at the police station. Gerald, Jenny (from Coventry) and I arrived at the police station at about 22.15 only to be told they had all been released. The three of us then decided to go for a quick drink before returning to Kate's.

Back at Kate's we introduced ourselves to the "Long Marston 5". They had all been released on bail, conditions are that they return to Leamington Spa police station on April 11th, one at a time and at hourly intervals between 09.00 - 13.00, to find out if they are to be charged with criminal damage.

We enjoyed an hour or so discussing the days events, and exchanging GM related information, before turning in.

A very rewarding day, and yet another example of democracy in action, as opposed to the un-democratic inaction we have become accustomed to, by most politicians.

Almost 100 white-suited protesters ripped up parts of a field of genetically-modified crops at Long Marston, Warwickshire, yesterday. Men, women and children, wearing masks, climbed over a fence and pulled up oilseed rape plants. Police chased them away.

Five people have been arrested by police after crops were uprooted during a GM protest on Saturday. Officers made the arrests after monitoring a march by the environmental campaigners in south Warwickshire. The protest, near
Long Marston, had been organised because campaigners argue safety procedures in place for GM trials are inadequate. Jenny Sampson, of the South Warwickshire GM Action Group, said there was no violence during the event.

"About 60 people entered the field, and the police remained around the edge of the field for over
30 minutes, as people started pulling up the crops. "After
that they came in from all angles and chased a lot of
people off the field, before making the arrests."

Up to 300 people turned up to a meeting about the GM issue
in Stratford-upon-Avon, before the smaller group marched to
the field. Some of the protesters were dressed in white
suits and carried a six-foot tall bee on the march, as a
symbol of what they regard as the dangers posed by GM crop
trials. Ms Sampson said: "We feel that GMOs (Genetically
Modified Organisms) have been released into the
environment, when it is not clear whether they are safe for
the environment. "We feel let down by the government on
this and basically people believe that not enough safety
precautions are being taken in the way these crops are
being trialled."

A Warwickshire Police spokesman said that initially only a
"minimal" number of officers were drafted in to monitor the
protests. "We were treating it as a peaceful protest, but
it did go beyond that," he said.

m......

Great report, wished I could have been there!

oops...

The newflash regarding the dorest farming pulling out of the GM trials turns out to have been a misunderstanding. The farmer has not pulled out. There is some farmers coop that apparently wanted to join but can't due to his planting of GM. He has NOT pulled out - yet ;-)
Infact, there are now going to be an addition 10 trails in Dorest - probably mostly on his land. :-(