Friday 29th January 1999 PRESS RELEASE Monsanto brought to court by Genetic Campaigners On Tuesday January 26th 1999 Monsanto, the giant biotechnology corporation appeared at the High Court in London as six defendants sought to strike out it’s claim for an injunction and unlimited damages [1]. Five of the defendants are women, who on the 4th July 1998 uprooted genetically engineered (GE) plants at a Monsanto demonstration site. Monsanto has responded by dropping its claim for damages but is claiming permanent injunctions against the six. Monsanto are also seeking to expedite the proceedings by applying for summary judgment. Campaigners maintain that a full hearing is necessary for justice to be served. They believe Monsanto wishes to avoid a full hearing, which could be a public relations disaster, as the ‘McLibel’ trial was for McDonalds. The five women are Kathryn Tulip, Melanie Jarman, Rowan Tilly, Zoe Elford and Jo Hamilton. The sixth defendant is Andrew Wood who acted as Media Liaison for the action. They are currently subject to temporary injunctions obtained by Monsanto on 16th July and 18th September 1998 [2]. The proposed permanent injunctions would replace the temporary injunctions. A court date will be set shortly for the summary judgment hearing. The hearing will last no more than a day and a half. Expert witnesses will not be allowed at court and the defendants believe there will be insufficient time for their arguments against GE to be heard. The defendants are represented by solicitors, Leigh Day & Co. The injunction that Monsanto seeks will add additional conditions to the injunctions which are currently imposed. The proposed injunctions will restrain the defendants from: trespassing on Monsanto’s land; uprooting, destroying or otherwise interfering with Monsanto’s GE crop release sites; interfering with Monsanto’s business conducted at its GE crop release sites; organising, inciting, procuring, encouraging or training others to join in any of the aforementioned acts on behalf or in the name of genetiX snowball or otherwise. Monsanto will also ask the court to order the defendants to provide the names and addresses of everyone who has received a copy of the genetiX snowball ‘Handbook for Action’ [3]. Monsanto’s solicitors, Rowe and Maw, propose to send a copy of the injunction order to each person on the list to ‘ensure that any injunction granted comes to the attention of those persons who might otherwise be encouraged to do an act prohibited by the injunction granted’. It appears that Monsanto want the Court to broaden the scope of the injunction so that all persons who have received the handbook would be injuncted on the same terms as the six defendants. At a previous court hearing Monsanto asked the Court to order the six to provide a list of the members of genetiX snowball. However genetiX snowball is not a membership organisation and the judge declined to make the order requested by Monsanto. Kathryn Tulip, one of the five defendants and a qualified solicitor said ‘Monsanto may claim that we have no defence and summary judgment is appropriate, but I believe they simply want to avoid the public relations disaster of a full hearing. For the defendants its a question of a fair trial on a complex issue’ Media liaison: Andrew Wood telephone: 0973 953 446 or page: 097654 247 502 ENDS Editors Notes [1] The case (Monsanto plc v Tilly and others, case number 1998-M- No 1180) was heard at 12.00noon by the Master in Room E102 at the Royal Courts of Justice, Strand, London, WC2A 2LL [2] See press releases of 19th July 1998 ‘Monsanto targets Genetic Campaigners’ and 18th September 1998 ‘Monsanto gags genetiX campaigners?’. [3] See press release of 26th November 1998 ‘Parliamentary launch of genetics action handbook’. Picture Editors Notes [1] Photographs of genetiX snowball actions are available on ImageNet under the David Hoffman or ISF sections. David Hoffman: 0181 981 5041. ISF: 01628 542 554. The David Hoffman photo library carries copies of photographs from the first genetiX snowball action on 4th July 1998. Broadcast quality footage shot on DVC is available on all formats. Contact film maker 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 Browse: http://www.gn.apc.org/pmhp/gs Press liaison: Andrew Wood 0973 953 446 or page 07654 247502