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July 20, 1999
Unknown, UKUK protestors rip up field of GM crop
Angry protestors ripped up a 25 acre field of oilseed rape in
southern England during a rally to protest against the production of
genetically modified crops, police said.
Around 100 environmentalists, dressed in white protective overalls and face
masks, marched into the field and started to pull up the crops after a
rally which brought hundreds of people to the farm in Watlington in
Oxfordshire.
The farm is taking part in government-backed trials of GM foods, which are
bitterly condemned by environmentalists who want a ban on all trials on the
grounds the new crops could contaminate surrounding fields and plants.
Police said three people were arrested on charges of causing criminal
damage at the farm.
A vigorous debate about GM crops is raging in Britain. Supermarkets have
been competing to remove GM ingredients from their shelves in the face of
widespread public concern.
Police said they believed Sunday's protest was organised by The Genetic
Engineering Network - an activist group which opposes genetic modification
of plants.
The farm in Watlington is one of six major GM crop trials taking place in
Britain. |