forwarded by Michael Hoover > Vandals Ruin Crops at UC-Berkeley Genetic Research Center > > Sasha Talcott > > Daily Californian - U. of California : Berkeley (U-WIRE) > > BERKELEY, Calif., May 26 -- Two ski-masked activists scaled > the fence of an Albany research center partially owned by the > University of California-Berkeley and destroyed dozens of plants in > an effort to stop research on genetically modified food, a > government spokesperson said Thursday. > > Sandy Miller Hays, director of information for the federal > government's Agricultural Research Service, said security guards > making their rounds at 4:30 a.m. Sunday came across two men > dumping tomato plants onto the floor. The men, who had apparently > hopped the fence of the facility and cut a hole into the side of two > greenhouses, subsequently ran away. > > The targeted facility is jointly owned by UC-Berkeley and the > federal government. > > Hays estimated the damage at less than $1,000, in part because the > security guards intercepted the activists before they could destroy > more plants. > > "I don't know why they're doing this, or even what they think we're > doing that would cause them to want to do this," Hays said. > > Hays said the vandals followed the same pattern as in a January > break-in, in which a single man scaled the fence and threw several > plants onto the floor before running away. She added that the crops > the vandals destroyed were used to research potential genetic > engineering techniques to reduce the use of pesticides. > > "This was research to benefit the environment," Hays said. "We > want a plentiful, safe, good crop without using so many chemicals." > > In an anonymous communique, the group Reclaim the Seeds > called the research center a "monstrous labyrinth" and took > credit for this week's break-in. "We believe that with enough > preparation, luck and a few tools of the trade, the powers of > darkness cannot keep us out of their greenhouses and labs," the > communique states. "Ultimately, our fear of a dead > planet is greater than our fear of state [and] corporate repression." > > Denny Henke, a spokesperson for GenetiX, which represents the > activists, said the two men destroyed the crops to protest a marriage > of technology and farming that they say endangers their health. > > Henke accused companies of splicing and dicing food genes to > maximize returns with little regard for consumer well-being. > "Congress is part of a fairly corrupt system," he said. "We have a > so-called democratic government, but the system we have > discourages the democratic process and encourages corporate > profits." > > He said activists used "direct action" tactics as a last resort to bring > attention to their cause. > > The activists also aim to make it unprofitable for the companies to > produce genetically engineered food, Henke added. "They want to > say to companies, 'You're not going to do this and get away with it,'" > he said. "The government may not hold you accountable, but we will > cost you money." > > James Seiber, a spokesperson for the Albany facility, said the > vandals destroyed plants that were not even related to food > production. "It's regrettable and we're taking it very seriously," he > said.