Party : Respondent Deponent : Rod Melia : 1st Sworn : July 1999 IN THE HIGH COURT OF JUSTICE 1998-M-NO 1180 QUEENS BENCH DIVISION BETWEEN MONSANTO PLC Plaintiff -and- (1) ROWAN TILLY (2) JO HAMILTON (3) KATHRYN TULIP (4) MELANIE JARMAN (5) ZOE ELFORD (6) ANDREW WOOD (sued on their own behalf and on behalf of all the other members or representatives of "genetiX snowball", an unincorporated association) Defendants - and - ROD MELIA Respondent AFFIDAVIT OF ROD MELIA I, Rod Melia of Flat 3, 3 Mayfield Road, Whalley Road, Manchester, M16 8FU make oath and say as follows: 1. On the 16th of July 1999 I entered Cereals 99 at Vine Farm, Wendy with a small group of individuals to carry out a genetiX snowball protest by pulling up some of Monsanto's Roundup Ready sugar beet which was being demonstrated to farmers at the event. 2. After locating Monsanto's stand and the plots of genetically engineered sugar beet I put on a decontamination suit over my clothes to help prevent any genetic or chemical pollution. The I walked onto the plot second from the Monsanto stand and I pulled up about 100 of Monsanto's sugar beet and placed them in plastic bag for disposal. 3. I remained totally non-violent and calm during the protest; I removed the beets slowly and methodically, and did not run or raise my voice at any time. When held and pushed by a farmer attending the show I asked calmly if he would please stop, which he did. When a man wearing a badge identifying himself as Tony Combes from Monsanto took hold of my upper arm and squeezed, I asked him calmly to please let go which he did. 4. After pulling up and bagging the GE sugar beets we remained by the plots discussing the reasons for our action with journalists, Monsanto representatives and farmers who were attending the show. We were open and honest about our identities. 5. I was the last of the four of us who had pulled up crops who left the site, as the security staff had very reasonably allowed me a couple of minutes to finish being interviewed by journalists. When I was escorted from the site the plants we had pulled up were all in the black plastic bags by the side of the plots. We had always intended to leave the bags on site, as is the stated guideline for genetiX snowball actions (see the Handbook for Action). I was informed by the last of the supporters of our action to leave the site that the bags had been emptied out onto the ground into piles. 6. The security were calm and professional, after we had been escorted away from the site to the edge of the area where the show had been taking place they waited for all of us to assemble before taking us in a vehicle out of the show into the car park. Those of us who pulled up the crops and those who supported our actions gave our names and addresses on request to a policeman while we were siting in the vehicle waiting to be driven out of the show, none of us were arrested. 7. I had been aware that there was an injunction preventing certain individuals involved in the genetiX snowball campaign from visiting Monsanto's test sites of genetically engineered plants, and from uprooting such plants. Unfortunately I had little understanding of what injunctions were or how they operated, and was totally unaware that this injunction could have applied to me. I had never seen the injunction papers nor did I attend court on 20th April. 8. If it is the case that I have broken an order of the court I regret this. Breaking an injunction was not my intention. I feel so strongly about the unprecedented dangers represented by the release of genetically engineered organisms into the environment that I believe there is a public interest justification for safely uprooting GM crops. 9. Prior to the "Cereals 99 snowball" action I had attended several genetiX snowball meetings but had not taken part in any crop pulling actions or the decision making processes. What attracted me to the genetiX snowball campaign is the emphasis on operating in a totally non-violent, safe, open and accountable manner. No one carries out genetiX snowball actions tries to hide their identity. Individuals wear protective suits to avoid further spread of genetic pollution, pull up a maximum of 100 genetically engineered plants and place them in bags. 10. I believe terrible consequences will result if genetically engineered crops become widespread. New genes and combinations of genes from transgenic organisms will inevitably spread into other organisms causing totally unpredictable mutations and the creation of new toxins and pathogens. Please refer to these publications for information about the dangers of applications of genetic engineering in agriculture. i) Dr. Mae-Wan Ho "Genetic Engineering Dreams or Nightmares" Gateway books 1998. ii) The Ecologist, Volume 28, Number 5 "The Monsanto Files: Can we survive genetic engineering" iii) Dr. Michael Antoniou "Genetic Pollution" Nutritional Therapy Today Vol 6 No 4 iv) "Food? Health? Hope?, Genetic engineering and world hunger" Briefing published by The Corner House. v) Dr Ricarda A. Steinbrecher "From Green Revolution to Gene Revolution, The environmental risks of genetically engineered crops" The Ecologist Vol. 26 No.6 vi) A study which shows that genes which have been inserted into sugar beet by genetic engineering can be transferred into a soil bacterium was carried out by F. Gebhard and K. Smalla and is published in Applied Environmental Microbiology vol 64 pgs 1550- 1559.