Silent activists oversow GM trial field

On a misty spring night a few months ago a group calling itself the Brassica Broadcasting Corporation gave a new twist to direct action against GM crops.

In a silent and undetected operation they sowed a conventional rape-seed crop over the whole area of the oilseed rape trial at Alderminster, Warwickshire, shortly after the experimental crop had been drilled.

Broadcasting is the time-honoured method of sowing used for centuries in Britain, and still used today in some parts of the world – seed is scattered as the farmer walks over the land.

This bizarre midnight operation went completely undetected, and the crop is now at the same stage as the trial crop, changing the density of the control crop, adding crop debris to the herbicide resistant crop, and rendering the results dubious, if not invalid.

The Brassica Broadcasting Corporation hopes this gentle act of resistance will give a strong signal to farmers, the seed industry and the government that the public does not want GM crops to be commercially grown in the UK.

‘If crops are given a commercial licence many more actions like this can be expected,’ said spokesperson Ronnie Rape.

The group remains anonymous, but can be interviewed by email:
 brassicabroadcast@hotmail.com