1. GM crop pullers in High Court Appeal duel
2. Blair criticised for blocking clearer GM labelling
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1. GM crop pullers in High Court Appeal duel
g e n e t i X s n o w b a l l & S U R G E
A campaign of nonviolent civil responsibility
& Southern United Resistance to Genetic Engineering
Box 13, Peace & Environment Centre, 43 Gardener Street, Brighton
01273 628441
<http://www.gn.apc.org/pmhp/gs>http://www.gn.apc.org/pmhp/gs> Friday 5 October 2001
PRESS RELEASE - ADVANCE NOTICE [via GEN]
On Monday 15 October two separate and opposing verdicts involving genetically modified (GM) crop pullers will be decided in an unusual High Court Appeal at the Royal Courts of Justice in London. Rowan Tilly is appealing against a conviction of aggravated trespass on 15 June 2000 at Cambridge Magistrates Court. The Crown Prosecution is appealing against an acquittal of aggravated trespass on seven GM crop pullers (1) on 12 June 2001 at Weymouth Magistrates Court. Both appeals will consider the same legal argument (2) and have therefore been combined.
Rowan Tilly (3) is one of three "genetiX snowballers" (4) convicted for their action on 3 August 1999 in which they bagged up GM oilseed rape in Royston, Cambridgeshire. They delivered the GM rape to the owner AgrEvo (now Aventis) and handed in signed statements calling on AgrEvo to accept liability for their genetic pollution.
Seven GM crop pullers were acquitted (5) for their action on 16 July 2000 when they claimed responsibility for pulling up Aventis GM maize from a government farm-scale trial site at Over Compton in Dorset. A public rally organised by SURGE (6) was attended by about 300 people after which three GriM reapers (7) led a procession to the site of the GM maize. About a hundred people joined in with pulling up the GM maize. The GriM Reapers were amongst the seven arrested. Defendant Rowan Tilly, who has not been charged for four subsequent actions, said "The fate of many GM crop pullers is at stake. If we win, the Prosecution may show continued reluctance to press charges against a rising tide of GM crop pullers. If we lose, many will undoubtedly be facing punishment and injustice." ENDS
Photographs, Film and Interviews
The defendants will be available for interview and photographs before and after the case. Stills / broadcast footage of both GM actions are available - contact as below.
Contact Rowan Tilly 01273 628441 or on 15 October by mobile 0780 105 5657.
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Editors Notes
1. The seven Dorset defendants were Chris Black, David Cooper, Simon Fairlie, Jack Hooker and Mike Zair of Stoke sub Hamdon in Dorset; Judie Holme of Salisbury; Rowan Tilly of Brighton.
2. Barrister Anya Lewes argued in both cases that the charge of aggravated trespass, under the notorious Criminal Justice Act, did not hold up since no public order confrontation could have taken place - nobody was working in the field during either of these actions. The Crown Prosecution has argued that workers do not have to be present and engaging in activity at the time the alleged offence is committed.
3. Rowan Tilly of genetiX snowball has two High Court injunctions from biotech companies Monsanto and Aventis for her part as a founding participant of genetiX snowball. She has openly broken her Aventis injunction several times without it being used against her. Following her trial this year she has continued to participate in GM crop actions at Low Burnham in Lincolnshire, Sealand in Wales, Preston Wynne in Herefordshire (twice) and Munlochy in Scotland. She has been fully accountable to either the police or the government giving full details of all these actions but she has not been charged for any of them so far.
4. GenetiX snowball is a campaign of nonviolent civil responsibility set up in July 1998 to openly and accountably pull up GM crops throughout Britain. See also website Error! Bookmark not defined. 5. The SURGE acquittal was the first victory for GM crop pullers in a magistrates court. The seven jubilant GM crop pullers celebrated with champagne during their press conference held at a GM farm-scale trial site just outside Weymouth. They wanted to signal that there is more GM crop decontamination work to be done. On cue their supporters spontaneously rolled up their sleeves to the task of literally pulling up the GM maize plants in front of the cameras.
6. The Dorset GM rally was organised by a local group called SURGE (Southern United Resistance to Genetic Engineering).
7. Simon Fairlie, David Cooper and Mike Zair had dressed spectacularly as "GriM Reapers" and used scythes to demonstrate removal of the GM crops (photos available). These three plus Jack Hooker all work a smallholding producing organic vegetables which they feared would be contaminated by the GM maize trial site nearby.
ENDS
Contact Rowan Tilly 01273 628441 or on 15 October by mobile 0780 105 5657.
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2. Blair criticised for blocking clearer GM labelling
PRESS RELEASE - NO EMBARGO For immediate release.<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns ="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" />
Jill Evans MEP has accused Tony Blair of betraying the public’s interests by rejecting EU plans to introduce stricter labelling rules for the sale of genetically modified foods.
The leader of Plaid Cymru - The Party of Wales in the European Parliament has criticised the Prime Minister for ordering his officials to block moves by the European Commission which would require all foods, cooking oils and animal feeds to state whether or not they contain traces of genetically modified organisms (GMOs). Currently only foods known to contain more than 1% GM ingredients require labelling.
Ms Evans, who is a member of the Parliamentary Committee on the Environment and Public Health, said, “In refusing to support more thorough labelling Tony Blair is effectively denying the public a right to choose whether or not to buy food produced from GMOs. Without the new labelling rules people in the UK will not be able to make an informed choice.
“This is a clear betrayal of the public’s interests and does nothing to restore consumer confidence in food safety.”
It is understood that the government’s Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs backed the proposals but was overruled by Downing Street and the Department of Trade and Industry, which heavily support the biotechnology industry.
The Government now faces a direct clash with Brussels, which is determined to defend the proposals drafted by David Byrne, the consumer safety commissioner, and Franz Fischler, the agriculture commissioner.
Ends (Thursday, 4th October 2001)
For further information please contact: Llyr Hughes Griffiths (Press Officer): 01437 779042 (office) or 07977 444978 (mobile)