Greenpeace denies stealing GM seeds

Greenpeace on Monday rebuffed accusations of attempted theft from Huazhong Agricultural University's Hainan research base after three members were stopped removing genetically modified (GM) rice seeds and leaves from an experimental field.

The campaigners were made to return three packets of rice and ejected, a university research base representative told the Global Times. They also reported the environmental campaigners to police, alleging attempted theft on April 11.

The samples had to be collected through this "undercover field investigation" as it was barely possible to obtain samples any other way, explained Wang Jing, Greenpeace food and agricultural senior campaigner.

"Greenpeace was investigating the safety management of GM food there after the Hainan experience of illegal plantation of GM corn," she said.

Hainan Province authorities announced in April they had destroyed nine unlicensed strains of GM corn and cotton taken from trial farms operated by agricultural companies and institutes in December.

The university's research base was also problematic, Wang argued, as its field's separation distance did not meet national standards.

"The 100-meter requirement mentioned by Greenpeace applies to fields without any physical shields or separation," Yan Jianbing, a professor of the College of Life Science and Technology at the university, told the Global Times, "whereas our base in Hainan has a 2.7 meter-tall wall to protect non-GM food."

The Greenpeace campaigners damaged the field, Yan said, and he feared they were trying to steal intellectual property rights for profit. "A few leaves and seeds would suffice for DNA, but they took away a whole plant," he said.

Greenpeace China replied through a statement published on their official website on Saturday that there was no violation of intellectual property rights and they never spread sample information.

"Neither did we cause technology theft or IPR violation," it concluded.

"We condemn such theft, regardless of its purpose," said Fan Jingqun, deputy director of the university's biological science media center.

The university, based in Wuhan, Hubei Province, sent experts to Hainan Sunday to assess the damage and "comfort" the research students, Fan said.

Police refused to investigate when the alleged attempted theft occurred on April 11, he said. They called police again on Friday seeking to press charges of stealing scientific research intelligence, but were unsure if police would act.