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28 Greenpeace Volunteers Acquitted In GM Trial
Greenpeace Welcomes Verdict And Calls On UK Government To
End GM Farm Experiments
London, 20th September, 2000
Twenty-eight Greenpeace volunteers were acquitted today
of criminal damage at Norwich Crown Court, Eastern England.
The volunteers had gone on trial on September 4th on
charges relating to a Greenpeace action at Lyng, Norfolk,
in the UK, on 26th July, 1999, where part of an
experimental crop of genetically modified (GM) maize was
cut down and sealed in bags as part of a campaign to
prevent genetic contamination of the environment.
Speaking immediately after the verdict, Peter Melchett, Executive Director of Greenpeace UK, said :
"We're extremely happy with the verdict which totally vindicates our campaign to prevent genetic pollution of the environment. We are delighted that an English jury was convinced that the Greenpeace volunteers were rightly acting to protect property and the environment when they cut down and bagged the crop of GM maize. We now call on Government to end the GM farm scale trials before any further genetic pollution of the environment occurs."
The previous trial in April this year resulted in all of the volunteers being acquitted of theft while the jury could not reach a verdict over the charge of criminal damage.
“Greenpeace wanted to remove the GM maize in Norfolk because we believe that GM crops will inevitably contaminate the environment. The UK Government’s own commissioned advisors – the John Innes Centre – told them that contamination was inevitable but they chose to ignore that advice. Since July 1999, crops of cotton in Greece have been found to have been contaminated by GM cotton and have had to be destroyed, the same has happened to oil seed rape and soya crops in France, and hundreds of fields of oil seed rape were contaminated in the UK and had to be destroyed”, Melchett continued.
The UK Government
is currently reviewing separation distances imposed between
GM crops and other similar crops. Greenpeace has been
consistently saying that the separation distances are
completely inadequate and that GM crops should not be
released into the environment to contaminate the food
chain.
The GM maize at Lyng was designed to be fed
to animals, in the production of beef, milk and other dairy
products like butter and cream. GM material is still being
used to feed farm animals in Europe although a growing
number of retailers - such as Iceland in the UK, Delhaize
le Lion in Belgium, Migros in Switzerland, Carrefour in
France and Coop in Italy - are already committed to selling
animal products from animals not fed on GM crops.
Greenpeace expects other European retailers to follow suit
over the next four weeks.
ENDS
For more information: Greenpeace UK contact in Norwich, Tel: +44-7801 212969 (mobile) or +44-1399 787 076 (pager); +44-7946 358 454 (mobile); Greenpeace UK Press Office, Tel: 44-207 865 8285 +44 207 8255 or +44 207 8257
Teresa Merilainen, Greenpeace International Press Office, Tel: +31 20 5236637
Annette Cotter,
Greenpeace NZ : 09 630 6317
Greenpeace
Greenpeace exists because this fragile earth deserves a voice.
Greenpeace is an independent global campaigning organisation that acts to change attitudes and behaviour, to protect and conserve the environment and to promote peace.
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