Monitor: Greenpeace demonstration

Criticism of Lord Melchett's arrest following a Greenpeace demonstration against genetically modified crops

The Daily

Telegraph

LORD MELCHETT evidently hopes to inspire mass civil disobedience. But if Greenpeace had been interested in scientific debate, it would have allowed this perfectly legal experiment to go ahead. GM crops have so far harmed nobody. Greenpeace, though, is in the business of whipping up mass hysteria against multinational corporations, as it successfully did in the Brent Spar case. In such a febrile atmosphere, no rational debate is possible. Lord Melchett's cause is not Greenpeace, but green war: a war against agriculture and commerce, science and the law.

The Guardian

THE RESPONSE of the original Luddites to the advent of the power loom was understandable. The response of the new Luddites to the rapid, unregulated application of untested new technologies is equally so. But somehow we must test the potential benefits and dangers of GM. Wrecking the tests does not, on the face of it, seem a terribly constructive response. Designing tests that satisfy 11 parties is what is needed. Scientists, politicians, businessmen and green activists should talk - soon.

The Times

THE GM food debate, like that over BSE-CJD, demonstrates British democracy in stupid mode. Consumers may fall like flies from salmonella and E coli. They can coat their fruit in chemicals and drop dead from organophosphates. Yet put together a mad scientist, a publicity-hungry lobbyist and a media incapable of joined-up thought, and politicians will panic before you can say beef-on-the-bone. (Simon Jenkins)

The Express

WHILE WE cannot condone illegal activities, the welter of protest against GM food, particularly the public's veto in the shopping basket, has brought home to Monsanto the fact that it cannot ride roughshod over the concerns of the consumer. It has tried to frighten farmers by warning that they will miss out commercially if they don't start growing GM crops, but this is just bluff. The reality is that all Europe shares our concerns, and Monsanto is going to have to rethink its GM strategy for the whole continent.