18 May 2001
frontline@rocketmail.com
Frontline: Activists Destroy GE Crops at Research Facility (CA, USA)

Frontline Information Service - News 5/17/01

Activists Destroy GE Crops at Research Facility

GENETIX ALERT NEWS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Denny Henke
Cell: 901.438.9907 Office: 901.458.9907
Date: May 17, 2001

Activists Destroy GE Crops at Research Facility in Brentwood, CA

Brentwood, CA - On May 16th, 2001 anti-biotech direct actionists destroyed transgenic strawberry, tomato, and onion plants were uprooted and destroyed. According to the communique "a group dedicated to the right to good food, untainted by genetic engineering, occupied and acted against one DNA Plant Technology research facility."

The communique continues "DNA Plant Technology Holdings was recently acquired by ELM, a multinational bioengineering corporation that also owns Seminis Vegetable Seeds, the largest distributor of fruit and vegetable seeds in the world. DNAP is currently growing more than 15,000 acres of genetically engineered field crops crops under in Mexico and the US, mostly without the public's knowledge. DNAP has more than 50 patents for such technologies as promoters, gene introduction, selectable markers plant regeneration."

This action, the 3rd of 2001, comes nearly 2 months after an action by OSU students in Corvallis, OR. Since November 1998 there have been over 40 anti-genetic direct actions in North America. The direct actionists continue to maintain that biotechnology is completely unnecessary and is being developed at the expense of human and ecological health solely to increase the profits of large multinational corporations. With the North American growing season at hand it is likely that direct actions against facilities producing and testing genetically engineered organisms will resume.

The activists link the direct action movement against biotechnology to the developing movement against global capitalism stating that "In recent years, more and more Americans are becoming fed up with corporate secrecy and lack of accountability for the changes they make in communities, human health, and the environment. The backlash against the WTO was one sign of this dissatisfaction, and ongoing anti-biotechnology test plot sabotage actions are another. Upset by what we were learning of the health and environmental ramifications of Roundup Ready technology and of the business practices of Seminis and DNAP in particular, we rounded up our favorite animal friends and decided to take action in spite of their boasted security measures."

The communique concludes "Safely outside on DNAP's poisoned earth, we turned our attention to a half acre test plot of mature onion plants that deserved to share the tomatoes' and strawberries' fate. Our frenzy of uprooting took down another experiment in 5 minutes. A good nights work lying in shreds behind us, we melted into the night the way we had come."

*Attached is copy of the communique.

--- Begin communique ---

In the early morning of May 16th, 2001 a group dedicated to the right to good food, untainted by genetic engineering, occupied and acted against one DNA Plant Technology research facility. This research location is located outside of Brentwood CA on Balfour Road, 1/2 mile east of Highway 4. We prevented further steps in transgenic crop experiments, within this entity, from occurring this season. Transgenic strawberry, tomato, and onion plants were uprooted and destroyed.

This is not the first time that people have taken direct action against transgenic strawberry experiments: the first anti-GE action in the US took place less than a mile from the DNAP facility. Nighttime gardeners targeted GenTech's Frostban strawberry, setting the stage for more than 50 anti-GE actions to date.

DNA Plant Technology Holdings was recently acquired by ELM, a multinational bioengineering corporation that also owns Seminis Vegetable Seeds, the largest distributor of fruit and vegetable seeds in the world. DNAP is currently growing more than 15,000 acres of genetically engineered field crops crops under in Mexico and the US, mostly without the public's knowledge. DNAP has more than 50 patents for such technologies as promoters, gene introduction, selectable markers plant regeneration. One gene silencing technology, trademarked Transwitch, allows agribusinessmen to switch genes on and off at will, for example the gene responsible for ethylene production in tomatoes.

The Flavr Savr tomato utilizes this technology to create a tomato with a shelf life of two to three weeks. Like most applications of genetic engineering, this trait benefits neither the workers who grow the tomato nor the people who buy these pale-pink, plastic-wrapped, nutritionally zapped tomatoes.

In 1999, DNAP entered into a "technology collaboration agreement" with Monsanto in order to adapt Monsanto's Roundup Ready technology to strawberries. Faced with the phase-out of methyl bromide (a highly-toxic herbicide/ soil fumigant) in 2003, DNAP hopes to force chemical-dependent farmers to adopt this new weed control technology. Meanwhile, the "fruits of such manipulations are filling up the shelves of our supermarkets. They come with a cheap price per pound, but hold the least nutritional value.

DNAP has pushed the EPA to change its standards for allowable worker exposure to Roundup. Since workers enter the fields two times per week to pick the berries, their exposure to this toxic and carcinogenic herbicide would be greatly increased by the implementation of this technology. In addition, Roundup Ready technology results in the fields being literally saturated with poison, with dire effects on the health of the soil. Once again, the giants of genetic modification are sacrificing the health of the people and the land for a pure profit motive.

Now DNAP is moving into so-called "second wave" research which is trying to incorporate drugs into the tissues of food plants. But our resistance is rooted deep in the land, and as long as they attempt to develop these alter our food, our resistance will continue.

Researching this company and it's facilities, we discovered an unusual level of secrecy surrounding it's operations. DNA Plant Holdings was conspicuously absent from tax assessors listings, had no posted signs of any sort in this otherwise neighborly agricultural community, and otherwise went to great lengths to conceal the nefarious nature of their business. We unearthed a report for DNAP stockholders that boasted of the site's remoteness and inaccessibility to public view. Seminis, also owned by ELM, has been a frequent target of anti-biotechnology actions, and the DNAP report reflected this paranoia. They even reassured the stockholders that the test plots were protected by security guards against 'fauna trespassers'.

In recent years, more and more Americans are becoming fed up with corporate secrecy and lack of accountability for the changes they make in communities, human health, and the environment. The backlash against the WTO was one sign of this dissatisfaction, and ongoing anti-biotechnology test plot sabotage actions are another. Upset by what we were learning of the health and environmental ramifications of Roundup Ready technology and of the business practices of Seminis and DNAP in particular, we rounded up our favorite animal friends and decided to take action in spite of their boasted security measures.

On a dark night we slipped through the open field surrounding the experimental facility. Working less than 50 feet from a brightly-lit house equipped with motion sensor/security light apparently aimed at the DNAP fields, we entered the 1-acre strawberry test plot. True to Roundup Ready test protocol, the plants were enveloped in a dense carpet of weeds, ready for application of the poisonous herbicide. We removed an acre of the enormous, leathery Frankenplants to a short new life- in plastic bags full of bleach to prevent any possibility of survival and replanting.

We next proceeded to one of the two greenhouses of DNAP's tomato experiments. We took a walk right through the walls, found a 1/4 acre of 4-foot tall fruiting tomatoes and dispatched them to their rightful dwelling place in hell. We invalidated the year's experiment in less than 10 minutes, and caused some uncounted amount of economic damage.

Safely outside on DNAP's poisoned earth, we turned our attention to a half acre test plot of mature onion plants that deserved to share the tomatoes' and strawberries' fate. Our frenzy of uprooting took down another experiment in 5 minutes. A good nights work lying in shreds behind us, we melted into the night the way we had come.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^END COMMUNIQUE^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

GenetiX Alert is an independent news center that works with other above-ground, anti-genetic engineering organizations. GA has no knowledge of the person(s) who carryout any underground actions. GA does not advocate illegal acts, but seeks to explain why people destroy genetically engineered crops and undertake other nonviolent actions aimed at resisting genetic engineering and increasing the difficulty for entities which seek to advance genetic engineering or its products. GA spokespeople are available for media interviews. An archive of anti-biotech direct actions can be found at http://tao.ca/~ban/ar.htm

Reporters and other interested parties may contact GenetiX Alert at:
cell phone: 901.438.9907
office phone: 901.458.9907
email: genetixalert@tao.ca
Web: http://tao.ca/~ban/gapo.htm
787 Ellsworth
Memphis, TN 38111 USA
contact: Denny Henke

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