GM activists destroy crops

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Reading Chronicle, Jul 1 2003

By James Ferguson, Midweek News

CAMPAIGNERS broke into a Bracknell research centre at the weekend to protest
against trials of controversial GM crops.

Members of the group, which has no name, cut through two wire fences to get
onto the Syngenta site at Jealotts Hill, Warfield, in the early hours of
Sunday morning, where they destroyed an area of crop.

Syngenta said the crop destroyed was not a GM trial and condemned what it
described as 'vandalism'.

There have been a series of protests from local group Green Watch at
Syngenta, though none have involved trying to break onto the site.

Green Watch said it was not involved in the weekend's activities, however
one of its members, Doreen Wyatt, supported the action.

She said: "Good for them. It is the pollution of the surrouding countryside
that bothers us. They have no right to pollute just because of their
financial investment in the area.

"Green Watch have not pursued direct action because there are other people
out there better at it."

Protesters are worried about a whole series of issues concerning the crop.
They say the safety of such crops has not been established and they are
worried that the plants will contaminate other non-GM crops.

Syngenta has permission from the Government to carry out a trial of
genetically enhanced wheat at Jealotts Hill.

However, the company said it is not planning any open GM trials at the site
this year.

The company added that the crop destroyed at the weekend was non-GM and was
part of research into how to tackle fungal disease in commercial wheat in
Western Europe.

It added: "At a time when the UK Government is conducting a full and open
debate on the pros and cons of GM crops and the possible benefits they might
offer the UK, Syngenta is disappointed that a small number of people are
resorting to vandalism and the destruction of research projects which are
seeking to provide benefits to agriculture and for the future provision of
food.

"This action has been particularly senseless as the plot destroyed was not a
GM crop and its destruction has therefore not met the objectives of those
involved."

For more see this week's Bracknell News