Rothamsted have planted a new GM wheat trial designed to repel aphids. It contains genes for antibiotic-resistance and an artificial gene ‘most similar to a cow’.

Wheat is wind-pollinated. In Canada similar experiments have leaked into the food-chain costing farmers millions in lost exports. There is no market for GM wheat anywhere in the world.

This experiment is tax-payer funded, but Rothamsted hope to sell any patent it generates to an agro-chemical company. La Via Campesina, the world’s largest organisation of peasant farmers, believe GM is increasing world hunger. They have called for support resisting GM crops, and the control over agriculture that biotech gives to corporations.

‘Take the Flour Back’ will be a nice day out in the country, with picnics, music from Seize the Day and a decontamination. It’s for anyone who feels able to publically help remove this threat and those who want to show their support for them.

Meet Rothamsted Park, Harpenden, Herts (30 mins from London by train) 12 noon on 27th May. At 1.30pm we’ll take a 20 minute stroll on public footpaths to the trial site.
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Transport is being organised from various parts of the country. For more information, see -  http://taketheflourback.org/local-transport/ Frequent trains run from London to Harpenden – the journey takes 30 mins from St Pancras.

Please read the legal briefing, available at -  http://taketheflourback.org/legal/

What to bring

You should bring:
Water
Food
If you plan on attending the decontamination, please bring bags to cover your shoes

If you can, please bring these:
A copy of the legal briefing -  http://taketheflourback.org/legal/
An OS map -  http://taketheflourback.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/map.jpg
Banners
Placards with messages on
Props
Seeds to swap
Bread and cakes to share (+ tasty stuff to go with that)
Bakers outfits, aprons, bakers’ hats
Messages and photos to tie to the fence around the wheat trial
Gloves
If you are able to bring your own biohazard protection and dustmask, please do

Please be aware that you may be searched by police on the way to, or at, the meetup point.

There are several very important non-GM long-term research trials happening at Rothamsted. It is crucial that we don’t go into or disturb these field trials in any way.

The Park Grass Meadow has been a protected experimental site since 1856, and has been described as one of the most important in the world in the area of biodiversity, containing many species of wildflower, wild grasses and insects.

The Broadbalk experiment was set up in 1843 and is the oldest continually-running field experiment in the world. Some areas are sown continously with wheat, while in others wheat is sown in rotation with other cereal crops. This site also provides an invaluable reserve for seven nationally rare or uncommon species. Section 8 of the field is one of the few arable sites in the country where herbicides have never been applied. Crop and soil samples have been kept from this experiment for over 150 years, providing evidence of air pollution and climate change.

We are appalled that Rothamsted are jeopardizing the integrity of this scientific inheritance by planting GM wheat metres away from it despite the risk of cross-contamination.

We aim to have stewards marking off these fields on the 27th, but please be careful and take responsibility for ensuring that you don’t stray into any fields other than the GM wheat trial, which has an enormous 12 foot high green fence around it. Use this map as a guide:  http://taketheflourback.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/map.jpg