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By SIMON BEBBINGTON, mobile voice 0378 307636, mobile fax 0385 893146
Dozens of green activists sidestepped a court order on 20 September during the biggest single protest against genetically modified (GM) food Britain has ever seen. They vowed to use the experience to start local campaigns.
More than 30 campaigners with GenetiX Snowball targetted the headquarters of AgroEvo, a leading genetic engineering company. The company's base and test field at East Winch Farm, 10 miles south east of King's Lynn, has produced modified oil seed rape and maize.
The protesters chose the site to sidestep a court order. GenetiX Snowball had originally targetted a site run by Monsanto, the world's pioneer in engineering the genes of crops. But the company, the sixth largest in the USA, won an injunction on Friday preventing anyone using the GenetiX Snowball name from setting foot on any of its 71 sites on pain of imprisonment or fine.
Activists wearing white biohazard suits and plastic bags over their shoes planted organic seeds and picketed AgroEvo's main gate to highlight their concern about genetically modified foods.
GenetiX Snowball is calling for a five year moratorium on the release of modified crops into the environment. The group says the affects of modified genes on eco sysytems and consumers has not been assessed. It says goverment advisors are also calling for a hiatus.
AgroEvo and Monsanto and others are engineering crops that can withstand weedkillers. Protesters fear that other plants will acquire the genes, weeds will become immune to the herbicides, and more sprays will be used, leading to increased pollution from runoff into rivers.
Martin from Manchester said: "AgroEvo is the front-runner in getting agreement for modified oil seed rape. Theoretically it could happen this spring. If it goes into the ground no one will know where its going. There will be thousands of acres of it."
He added that German chemical giant Holst Schering owns Belgian seed company PGS which owns Agrevo. "So a German chemical company is testing Belgian genetically modified seed in Britain," he said.
Activists aged between 18 and 79, plus a six year-old boy, came from as far afield as Wales, Bristol, Manchester, Essex, London and Oxford for the action.
The oldest participant was 79-year old was Joan Court from Cambridgeshire, who worked with Ghandi.
Ms Court said: "It's a visible protest agaist what I regard as unmittigated evil and bad science. I don't want animal genes put in my food. They are going off half-cocked. Everyone knows big business is only in it for the money."
Zoe Elford, who was named in the injunction, said: "There's a strong case to say genetic engineering is inherently wrong and dangerous."
For many it was there first taste of direct action. "There are a lots of new faces there," said GenetiX Snowball press officer Andrew Wood.
The protesters attended bonding day in Cambridge on Saturday where they agreed to keep the action peaceful. They also learned how to conduct campaigns in their areas.
The activists were aware that they faced arrest if they damaged the site. But a security officer at the farm and the police were happy to let the protesters conduct rituals and plant seeds as long as there was no violence.
ENDS
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