IN BRIEF

3 October 1997

IN BRIEF

uENVIRONMENTALISTS have destroyed the first genetically modified crop of sugar beet being grown in Ireland.

Members of the Gaelic Earth Liberation Front destroyed the one-acre crop of Round Up Ready sugar beet, being trialled by agrochemical company Monsanto, at a government-owned farm near Carlow.

Resistance to the GM crop has been strong in the country. The anti-GMO group Genetic Concern took Monsanto to the Irish High Court in May in an attempt to stop the crop being planted. Its legal battle continues, with a judicial review in December of the Irish Environmental Protection Agencys decision to permit the trial.n