Frday 18th September 1998				      				Immediate release

PRESS RELEASE - RE-RELEASE - ADVANCE NOTICE

Change of venue: Planting of organic crops on GE crop release site
 on Sunday 20th September 1998

The location of the press meeting point for the transformation action on Sunday 20th September 1998 has been changed 
to Kings Lynn railway station at 10.00 a.m.  Meet Andrew Wood, Media Liaison for genetiX snowball. at the station. 
The meeting point was previously Cambridge train station at 10.00 a.m. [1].  The change in venue follows the granting 
of a new injunction to Monsanto at the High Court in London, Friday 18th September 1998.  The number of sites which 
the injunctees or anyone deemed a ‘member’ of genetiX snowball is prohibited from visiting has been extended and 
includes additional Monsanto sites in Cambridgeshire [2].

The transformation action will involve the planting of fruiting trees, organic seeds and vegetables as a vision of sustainable agriculture.  The 
location of the transformation action, which will either be at a GE crop release site on a farm, in the grounds of a biotechnology company or 
at a GE research institute, will be disclosed at the press briefing.  The action will be complete by 11.00 a.m and the site is within a 20 minute 
drive, possibly less.

GenetiX harvest is the fourth action in the genetiX snowball campaign[3].  Participants will arrive on Saturday 19th September for a day of 
training and preparation.  The focus of the training is building an effective campaign community. People will form into working groups of 
between 10 and 15 people, known as affinity groups for the training.  Some groups may arrive already formed.  Members of each group will 
take on various roles including diggers/planters and support roles including police liaison, media liaison, action observer, etc.  Training will 
include a legal briefing and nonviolence training.  The affinity groups will be planting at a single location but will be working autonomously 
in a co-ordinated manner.  As in all genetiX snowball actions participants will sign a pledge of nonviolence and write a statement of their 
reasons for undertaking the action.  Copies will be left at the site of the action.

The change in the nature of the action reflects the early harvest of GE sugar beet - the GE plants which were to have been pulled up.  Other 
GE crops including spring oil seed rape and potatoes were harvested in August.  Winter oil seed rape, which has recently been planted, has 
only just starting to germinate.  The transformation will be at a site at which GE crops were harvested this year and where they are due to be 
replanted next season.  Farmers hosting GE release sites, research institutes and biotechnology companies who may have their sites 
transformed have been contacted by letter to inform them of the campaign, it’s peaceful nature and to invite them to join.  There is a risk of 
arrest on this action for participants.  

As an act of ‘civil responsibility’, as opposed to ‘civil disobedience’ the genetiX snowball action expresses participants conviction that there 
are viable alternatives without the need to resort to GE crop technology.  Participants are willing to risk arrest and justify their actions in a 
court of law.  The campaign puts the emphasis on involving many people to ensure the  genetiX snowball is genuinely participatory and 
democratic.  GenetiX snowball is calling for a five year moratorium on the release of GE crops into the environment pending further research 
and public consultation.  The government’s own statutory bodies have been calling for a similar moratorium.

ENDS
Contact (Media Liaison):  Andrew Wood 0973 953 446 or page 07654 247 502

Editors notes 
[1]See press release of Wednesday 16th September 1998 entitled ‘Changed: Largest open action to pull up genetically engineered (GE) crops 
on Sunday 20th September 1998  To: Planting of organic crops on GE crop release site’ from genetiX snowball.
[2]See press release of Friday 18th September 1998 entitled ‘Monsanto gags genetiX campaigners?’ from genetiX snowball.
[3] For details of the three actions contact Andrew Wood, Media Liaison for the relevant release: ‘First arrests in Britain for pulling up 
genetically engineered crops’ (Model Farm, Oxfordshire, 6th July 1998), ‘Farmer rejects Genetically Engineered crops’ (Manor Farm, 
Oxfordshire, 20th July 1998), ‘Local residents arrested for taking direct action to uproot Genetically Engineered crops’ (Sharpes International 
Seeds Breeding Station, Boothby Graffoe (Lincolnshire),18th August 1998).
Picture Editor notes
Stills and video footage (on DVC format) are available for all the above releases.  Material provided by nationally published or broadcast 
freelancers.  Several freelance photographers and video operators will be attending the genetiX harvest.  Contact Andrew Wood, Media 
Liaison for more details.  For still pictures of the action on Sunday call Rob Todd on 0467 420 283.  For video footage on DVC call Zoe 
Broughton on 0961 181 576.

genetiX snowball
A campaign of nonviolent  civil responsibility
One World Centre, 6 Mount Street, Manchester M2 5NS    Tel: 0161 834 0295    Fax: 0161 834 8187
Press liaison:  Andrew Wood 0973 953446 or page 07654 247502