Rolling Resistance to Genetic Pollution

In July, 5 women (including 2 based in Manchester) safely and openly removed genetic-ally modified crops from an Oxfordshire test site. Despite a heavy police presence (2 dozen officers and a heli-copter), 200 plants were dug up, sealed in marked bags and sent to the Environment Agency asking them to dispose of the material as biohazardous waste.

Rowan Tilly, one of the five snowballers said, "These GE crops are an assault on our food and environment. In the face of responsibility being waived by those in a position to wield it, the responsibility falls on us". The women were arrested, but later released without charge. Monsanto are now seeking a civil injunction against them. spears into pruning hooks
Photo credit: Nick Cobbing

This action set in motion the "genetiX snowball", a campaign of civil responsibility about the most fundamental element of our lives - what we eat. The genetiX snowball campaign enables people to demon-strate their concerns by pledging to "encourage groups and individuals to non-violently and accountably pull up a small number of crops and get others to do the same." There have now been over 30 actions and they will continue every other weekend until the request for a 5 year moratorium on the deliberate release of genetically modified plants in Britain, except for government sponsored ecological tests, has been met.

genetiX snowball (0161 834 0295, genetixsnowball@orangenet.co.uk)

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