Scotsman.com

 Sun 28 Apr 2002


 Five arrests in second attack on GM crops


 NICHOLAS CHRISTIAN

 POLICE yesterday arrested five people after a field of genetically
modified crops was damaged for the second time in a week.

 Northern Constabulary arrested the five people on breach of the peace
and vandalism charges after the GM crops at Munlochy in the Highlands were damaged on
Friday night.

 The field at Roskill Farm on the Black Isle, which is involved in
trials of GM oilseed rape, was also attacked last weekend, between Saturday night 
and Sunday morning.

 About five acres of the controversial crop were damaged on that
occasion and police inquiries are still continuing.

 A police spokesman said three of those arrested were men, aged 21, 31
and 40, and the remaining two were women, aged 46 and 47.

 He said all five were in police custody and were due to appear at
Dingwall Sheriff Court on Monday.

 He said the area of damage at the crop trial site was "being assessed".

 Scottish Socialist Party MSP Tommy Sheridan backed the five activists
and said two of the men and one of the women arrested were members of his party. 
He said: "Their fight is for the protection of everyone's food and instead of 
locking them up we should be locking up the genetic food promoters."

 The crop trials have attracted considerable criticism in the Scottish
parliament both from the SNP and Green MSP Robin Harper.

 SNP leader John Swinney accused ministers of treating Scotland as a
"live laboratory" during First Ministeris Questions last week by permitting the field
trials.

 He challenged Executive arguments that ministers have no legal grounds
for banning the trials.

 But Deputy First Minister Jim Wallace, standing in for First Minister
Jack McConnell, rejected the charge and insisted scientific advisers had said 
there was no risk.

 The exchange was awkward for Wallace, the Scottish Liberal Democrat
leader, because his party called for a moratorium on GM crops at its annual 
conference last weekend.