Activists Ruin Crops at Research Center

Two ski-masked activists scaled the fence of an Albany research center partially owned by the university and destroyed dozens of plants in an effort to stop research on genetically modified food, a government spokesperson said yesterday.

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," she 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," she 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 which they say endangers their health.

He 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, he 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.

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