First Snowball: Model Farm

Background information:

• Kathryn Tulip's statement
• Melanie Jarman's statement
• Rowan Tilly's statement
• Zoe Elford's statement
• Jo Hamilton's statement
• Article on the Model Farm Snowball by Melanie Jarman
• Press release - 1st July 1998: Middle England takes direct action against Genetically Engineered (GE) crops
• Press release - 4th July 1998: First arrests for pulling up genetically engineered crops in Britain

Pictures

Five people took the decontaminating role and six others did support work: liaising with and explaining the action to press, farmer and police and recording what was happening. We took known and trusted press with us to film and take photographs whilst Andrew (press liaison) met other press at a point nearby. The police had decided to meet there too and take advantage of a guide to the action.

The decontaminators used ordinary gardening tools and wore protective suits. Each puller chose a number of plants significant to them; Jo chose to pull up 25 as she is 25 years old, Kathryn pulled 64 for the number of experimental trials currently in progress, Mel wanted to do 74 in memory of her friend Ray who had died recently aged 74, Rowan plucked one plant symbolic of the number of genetiX snowball actions, Zoe chose 99 as she wanted them out of the ground as quickly as possible.

We arrived about five minutes before the police and just about had time to put on our protective clothing and begin digging up the plants. The police were met by Jane and Phil (farmer and police liaison) We felt a man and a woman together would be safe and not intimidating. They introduced themselves and explained who we were and what we were doing. An agent for Monsanto then arrived and gave us a warning to leave the site.

When the police tried to stop us digging one of us explained that we couldn't as we had work to do. A sergeant asked if there was anything they could say that would pursuade us to leave the site. Rowan said: "Yes, arrest Monsanto! They're causing criminal damage to other farmer's crops through genetic pollution and we are preventing this by removing Monsanto's GM crops". The police officer went off to speak to his superior. We continued digging up, snapping in half and bagging up the plants. We were asked again to leave, we continued decontaminating.

The police began to arrest us for criminal damage after about 20 minutes. Our action/legal observer busily noted down significant events, the time that they happened and names, numbers or descriptions of people involved. At this point more press arrived and Zoe and Mel both managed interviews with them before being arrested. Jo managed to hold an impromptu press conference with some journalists before being led away. The decontaminators left their signed statements for the farmer and the company and gave copies to the police as they were arrested.

Andrew, Jane and Phil, did further press interviews after the arrests. When they offered the apple tree to the farmer's son who had arrived at the site he refused it. The arrested decontaminators were taken a few miles from the site and released without charge. The police confiscated our tools and the banner.

Twelve days later and just two days before the second snowball action the five decontaminaters were served injunctions by Monsanto. The injunctions are intended to prevent the five from entering Monsanto's release sites or from encouraging other people to decontaminate the sites and also has a damages claim.