Ireland Genetics Crop Destroyed
The only genetically engineered crop in the Republic of Ireland has been destroyed: in an anonymous phone call to the Genetic Engineering Network, a group calling themselves the Gaelic Earth Liberation Front told of their destruction of the one acre site in the early hours of the morning on September 28th. They went on to say; "This was the first genetically engineered crop in Ireland and hopefully it will be the last". The experimental crop of roundup ready sugar beet, owned by the US based biotech corporation Monsanto, had been planted earlier in the year at a government run farm near Carlow in the Republic of Ireland.
On May 1st 1997 the Irish Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) granted Monsanto the first license in Ireland for a deliberate release of genetically modified organisms - in this case Round-Up Ready sugar beet. Monsanto had applied for the license to test-plant in three locations, but had later narrowed their application to the one site at the research centre managed by Teagasc, the state sponsored agricultural advisory body.
A member of Genetic Concern!, an Irish group campaigning against genetic engineering, immediately sought a High Court Judicial Review of the EPA's decision to grant a license. An interim injunction prevented Monsanto planting the Glyphosate-resistant sugar beet in Ireland but it was lifted on 27th May and the beet was planted that same afternoon. However, while refusing to grant a permanent injunction, the High Court Judge gave permission for a judicial review of the Environmental Protection Agency license granted to Monsanto.
The judicial review is not scheduled to take place until 10th December 1997 by which time the first year's GE sugar beet crop would have been harvested. If the Court finds that the licenses were improperly granted, Monsanto would have to abandon the 4 year test and Monsanto had said that if it is revoked, they would destroy all their GE sugar beet; with a herbicide! It now looks as though whatever happens in the judicial review, someone has saved Monsanto the effort. Contact 0181 374 9516.