GUARDIAN (Environment section) 7 March 2001

By John Vidal

FORKED TONGUE

How British greenies like cuddling up to career politicians.

Last week, environment minister Michael Meacher attended a meeeting of
the big seven eco-groups and had them purring as he called for a full-scale
inquiry into industrial agriculture and pledged to bring back small
abattoirs.

Little did the groups know that, five hours later, a man going by the
same name and posing as an environment minister, would be announcing 55 more
farmscale GM trials and that Friends of the Earth, Greenpeace et al
would have to resume their ritual attacks on government.

Interestingly, Meacher's team announced the trials right on press
deadlines, on the day of the rail crash and on the worst day yet in the foot and
mouth crisis.  The headline on the press release read: "Greater say for
Staffordshire moorland tenants following transfer."  Perhaps they didn't
want anyone to know?

ENDS