GE Crop Sabotage in New Zealand

The Dominion (Wellington, New zealand)
January 11, 2002

Saboteurs destroy GE crops at Lincoln

SABOTEURS have destroyed genetically engineered potatoes again at the Crop
and Food Research complex at Lincoln Agriculture and Science Centre, near
Christchurch.

The crown science company's "contained laboratory" for genetic engineering
experiments, a big glasshouse, was broken into early yesterday and the green
tops cut from plants. Pots were emptied into rubbish bags. Crop and Food
chief executive Paul Tocker said 1334 plants from three research projects
had been damaged at a cost of more than $ 100,000.

He classed the destruction as sabotage to government-funded science being
carried out under strict controls set by the Environmental Risk Management
Authority.

"These are not field trials," he said.

"It is breaking and entering a science laboratory with the intent to disrupt
the progress of science.

"It is significant damage to scientific progress and though we haven't been
able to assess the full costs yet, I expect we are talking of at least six
figures."

Crop and Food's GE potato work was the target of the first high-profile
protests in New Zealand, on March 10, 1999, when a group calling itself Wild
Greens destroyed potatoes that had been modified with a genetic code from a
toad to improve resistance to soft rot.

The spokesman for the group then was Nandor Tanczos, who did not participate
in that raid and has since become a Green Party MP.

Mr Tanczos said yesterday that he was unaware of the latest raid, but said
there had been groups and individuals other than the Wild Greens that had
talked of taking direct action against GE experiments.

Mr Tocker said the latest raid had severely affected work to identify
genetic sequences in potatoes linked to specific traits so that the
conventional selective breeding of the plants could be improved.
Dr Margy Gilpin said she was devastated by the damage to her project.

"Ironically, our programme is studying genetic techniques to help us find
better ways of non-GM potato improvement," she said.

"Because the plants have now been either destroyed or cannot be accurately
identified, we will be unable to do the tests to verify all the science
progress we have made over the last three years."

Mr Tocker said two other GE and non-GE research programmes had been
affected, including work on improving pest and disease resistance in
potatoes to minimise the need for chemicals.

He said the experiments included some to produce plant matter to be used in
commercial applications, and the health benefits aimed at included
"nutritional, bio-availability, remedial, medical aspects".

Some of the plants had been the culmination of many years' research and some
had been studied for only a couple of years.

Mr Tocker said the destruction was a needless and senseless waste, and was
traumatic for the researchers involved.

No specific threats or claims had been received in connection with the
sabotage. -- NZPA

Supplied by New Zealand Press Association