Statements

Rowan Tilly

I am motivated by a longing for peace on Earth and with the Earth. I have informed myself of the arguments both for and against genetic engineering by reading widely and consulting with genetic scientists. It is clear to me that genetically manipulated (GM) crops represent a real and terrible danger to our health, the environment, to the way our society operates, now, and even more so in the future.

I am campaigning against GM crops because of my beliefs as follows:

• GM crops are not wanted in Britain - 77% of the public want GM crops to be banned (Mori poll, June 1998);

• GM crops are not necessary - there are better and safer solutions for feeding the world;

• GM crops are a threat to the ecological integrity of the environment;

• GM crops are a threat to food safety;

• GM crops are a threat to food security;

• the science on which GM is based is being prematurely applied and abused in its application for GM;

• all the risks of GM crops are currently being carried solely by the public because biotechnology companies refuse to accept liability if something goes wrong;

• an agriculture based on GM crops will increase monocultures and intensification of farming, both of which are detrimental to ecology;

• since profit is the primary motive of production, then the development of GM crops by corporations is dependent on patenting of genes and plants; this is a further step to disempowering local people, undermining and appropriating local farming knowledge and traditions;

• GM crops reduce self determination of farmers, especially in "developing countries", for example, India, Ethiopia, Eastern Europe;

• GM crops increase dependency on a few large corporations who are accountable only to their shareholders.

GM plants have been released into the environment in test field sites all over Britain without the consent of the public. There is evidence that biotechnology companies are failing to adhere to government regulations which are intended to prevent the spread of genetic pollution. It seems clear that the Health and Safety Executive is doubtful of ever being able to convict companies which break the regulations.

I believe that the release of GM plants into the environment in test field sites is illegal since genetic material can escape into plants belonging to other farmers through cross pollination or horizontal gene transfer. This means that the biotechnology companies responsible for these releases are causing criminal damage to the plants of other farmers as well as creating a public health risk.

The splitting of the atom heralded the dawning of the nuclear age; the energy unleashed has left in its wake disasters which have threatened all of life on Earth, and continues to cause havoc. At the same time, we have seen the devastation wreaked on the Earth's ecology and on human health by the use of chemical cocktails which have polluted the land and water. Now with the splitting of the gene, we are at the brink of the age of virtual nature; the sanctity of life is reduced to market controlled components to be engineered under the direction of corporations rather than governments, to work for profit rather than the greater well-being of humankind.

In 1962 Rachel Carson, herself a genetic biologist, blew the whistle on the use of chemical pesticides used for agriculture with her book Silent Spring. In this passage she could almost have been talking about genetic engineering:

"Along with the possibility of the extinction of mankind by nuclear war, the central problem of our age has therefore become the contamination of man's total environment with such substances of incredible potential for harm - substances that accumulate in the tissues of plants and animals and even penetrate the germ cells to shatter or alter the very material of heredity upon which the shape of the future depends.

"Some would-be architects of our future look towards a time when it will be possible to alter the human germ plasm by design. But we may easily be doing so now by inadvertence, for many chemicals, like radiation, bring about gene mutations. It is ironic to think that man might determine his own future by something so seemingly trivial as the choice of an insect spray."

Countless disasters have surely been averted because so many ordinary people sounded the alarm so loudly that our governments could no longer continue to ignore their call. As the generation born into the nuclear / chemical age we are indebted to people like Rachel Carson. Now it is our turn.

In the last two years I have campaigned against GM crops and the patenting of life - genes, human body parts, animals and plants. I have come to realise that although campaigning is an essential part of democracy, there are limits to what can be achieved when our own nation's democratic process has broken down. When we are no longer being represented over an issue that is endangering our health and the environment right now and for future generations; when our legal system fails us, we have not only a right, but a responsibility to participate actively in democracy ourselves. I can do this by bearing witness to the dangers of genetically engineered crops in an effort to reach for and expose the truth, to sound a warning and to prevent harm. My witness follows a path well trodden by many who have witnessed before: the Chipko movement of India, who wrapped their bodies around trees to protect their forests, Karen Silkwood who was murdered whilst attempting to expose nuclear contamination. Primarily I draw inspiration from those who have followed the Swords into Ploughshares tradition.

The Swords into Ploughshares tradition began in the US in 1980 by eight people who used hammers to disarm nuclear warheads. They were inspired by an Old Testament prophecy: "They shall beat their swords into ploughshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore." (Isaiah 2:4). Many Ploughshares people practice nonviolence as an act of witness - an expression of their spirituality and truth; not all activists are Christian, although plenty are; some follow spiritual practices such as Buddhism, Judaism and pantheism.

To date there have been more than 60 ploughshare actions, mostly in the USA. Perhaps the most well-known action was in 1996, the third to take place in Britain. This was the Seeds of Hope - East Timor Ploughshares in which four women used hammers to disarm a Hawk warplane which was to be exported to Indonesia. The four women were acquitted in a landmark trial by a jury who recognised that the women had good reason to take such drastic action - the warplanes were to be used in genocidal attacks against the people of East Timor.

I am moved by the Ploughshares people's commitment to nonviolence and true democracy; the humility in their readiness to invite judgement and to be continuously self- critical; and their courage to take action as a witness in a society which is largely sterile in spiritual terms.

I also want to challenge the sheep-like habit of doing as others do, not stepping out of line, otherwise known as mindless obedience. As long as individuals unthinkingly do as others do, or give their consent through their failure to act, our society will never grow out of making war and destroying the Earth. Our society is helpless only to the extent that people believe themselves to be powerless to act.

I intend to take part in an act of nonviolent civil responsibility as part of a small group of people who are launching the genetiX snowball campaign. In daylight on 4 July 1998 I will be pulling up just one GM plant to mark the beginning of the snowball - our action will hopefully be the first of many more acts of nonviolent civil responsibility. My witness is an active expression of nonviolence. This means that I intend to peacefully render the GM crops harmless in a controlled manner so that there is no risk of harming any other living being. Anything which damages the Earth or her inhabitants, or threatens future generations, is inherently violent and should not exist as "property". The safe removal of GM crops is a legitimate step towards preventing these crops from risking our health and destroying the natural ecology. I intend to publicly testify as to the dangers of these GM crops and am willing to take the consequences of my action. This act of witness is an expression of my love for the Earth and for humankind.

I have made a commitment to nonviolence, safety and openness. I will try to create an atmosphere of calm and will treat everyone I encounter with respect. I will take appropriate precautions to prevent the spread of genetic pollution by wearing protective clothing. The GM plants and contaminated clothing will be sealed in strong polythene bags clearly marked as a biohazard and I will be calling on the local Environment Agency, whose responsibility it is to dispose of biohazards, to remove the bags. These methods are consistent with my vision of a society which is founded on democracy, social justice and peace.

Along with others in my group, I will be helping to plant an apple tree as a symbol of the tree of life, natural creation, abundance and diversity. This is a celebration of thousands of years of traditional knowledge gained by those who have worked the land to provide generations of people with good wholesome food. It is a call for safe farming methods which are accessible to all farmers, not just those who can afford the patent royalties; and safe crops for all people as a basic need which must - and can - be met. Britain has hundreds of different kinds of apples, each different in size, flavour, colour, texture, each adapted to its locality. Our enjoyment of this diversity over the centuries goes beyond the complex biochemistry that makes an apple. We enjoy apples which ripen through the summer to grace our harvest festival in autumn and to gladden our hearts with cider through the dark winter months. But the humble apple tree has already been subjected to genetic modification aiming to give us long-lasting designer apples with prescribed and uniform characteristics. We steal from the fruits of the tree of life at our peril.

English Nature, co-ordinator of the responses of the statutory bodies charged by government with the protection of the wildlife of Britain, have called for a five year moratorium on commercial releases of GM crops in Britain until scientific research has been completed, and more evidence has been gathered to ascertain whether GM crops are a danger to the environment. So far the government has ignored its own advisory body. Therefore, as part of genetiX snowball, I call for the following:

• A five year moratorium on the deliberate release of GM plants in Britain, except for government sponsored ecological health and safety tests (in enclosed systems); and
• the removal of all GM crops already existing.

genetiX snowball will be called off when a moratorium has been declared.

I hope that my witness will reach far enough to speak truth to power and deep enough to speak truth to hearts. But I can only carry truth as far and as deep as this one small action will reach. Therefore I invite people to help roll the snowball on further. It is only by passing on our seeds of hope, our hammers and garden forks, our shared fears and strengths, that our visions will ever be realised.

Rowan Tilly