A few crop trashing tips
introduction
tools
.crop stompers
.Whifflepoofs
.other tools
links
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Locations of farm scale trials 2002-2003
The trials: some thoughts
Layout of gm trials
Disclaimer:
Damaging GM crops is very naughty and illegal. Don't do it kids.
This site is only intended for use by people who wish to...um er
destroy non-GM maize, oil seed rape and sugar beet....secretively
......at night....with the full written consent of the farmer
....honest!
Feel free to reproduce this page as widely as possible
This guide is not comprehensive, just a few ideas. See
My first little book of GM decontamination
for more info, especially on planning and organising GM actions, and methods. Our advice on this would be to get together with a group of friends who you know and trust, check out the site (inconspicuously)beforehand, plan a getaway route. Have a getaway driver parked some distance away, and arrange a pickup place and time, talk as little about it as possible (especially not by phone or email), both before and afterwards. Unless you want to be accountable (the biotech companies aren't).
The best time to trash crops is when they are young. Oil seed rape is sown either in the autumn (September -ish),
or in the spring (March-ish). Maize and Sugar Beet are
spring sown. Long winter nights are a good time to
damage crops, with the added bonus that morning frost will make
the damage even worse.
If you want to know about GM crops in your area see
GM farm scale trials 2002-2003
The locations have been reproduced here from the official
government websites, which are often hard to find,
and seem to move address now and again. At the time of writing the
English trial sites are listed athttp://www.defra.gov.uk/news/2002/020708f.htm
Tools
Some people wish to completely uproot the entire crop from the field.
This is great, and feasible with a small trial. On a farm scale trial, this is not really practical, unless you have a very large group of people and lots of time. This site recommends ways to flatten and damage crops as quickly as possible. Some people feel that tools are incriminating, especially things like sickles which can't be safely used with gloves, and are easily left behind. Most of these tools would not pick up fingerprints and some are disposable.
crop stompers
For crops over about 6 inches tall, a crop stomper
is effective. This is a plank of wood, with a loop of
rope attached (see picture).
The rope goes behind your shoulders
(adjust to your height), and
the plank goes under your foot. You walk along crushing the
crop with the plank. This is the method used to make
crop circles. If you want to make a crop circle see:
http://www.circlemakers.org/guide.html
whifflepoofs
The most effective tool so far (in our experience) is the whifflepoof.
This is basically a log with nails in it. Choose a
roughly cylindrical log about 3-4 feet long and about 6 inches in diameter.
Hammer a large nail
into each end (for attaching a rope). hammer nails all over the log
about 1-2inches apart, sticking out an inch or two
(longer nails may be more effective, smaller logs aren't heavy
enough. Experiment if you can.) Drag the whifflepoof through the
crop, turning it over occasionally
Bear in mind that the whifflepoof will
have to be unclogged periodically in the field, as it will get
covered in bits of leaf. It is a good idea to put the nails
in rows along the length of the log, so you can clean it
easily with a stick.
Caution: ropes can get tangled up around the nails,
especially in a car boot or van floor in the dark.
If a vehicle stops for ten minutes by the side of a field at night,
while a group of tired
(and possibly intoxicated) people wrestle with
a tangled mass of wood, nails, scythes etc. it might attract attention.
Heavy logs with nails in them could also cause injury.
It hasn't happened yet, but please be careful.
If you have several whifflepoofs and crop stompers,
it might be a good idea to carry the ropes separately
and attach them in the field, or wrap the whifflepoofs
in bits of old tarp or blanket.
Other ideas
For small seedlings, rakes are quite effective.
A heavy clump of brushwood
dragged across the field could do quite a lot of damage
to a young crop, and it can be easily dumped afterwards.
For best results tie large twiggy branches (6-8 foot long)
together and drag them so that the smallest branches point forwards.
This had limited success in a weed infested oil seed rape crop
about 1 foot high (the weeds cushioned the crops against damage),
but could work well with smaller seedlings.
Scythes, sickles and bilhooks are pretty good too, if you can get your hands on a tractor and harrow, plough, flail or similar, and don't mind getting nicked, go for it. A 4x4 with a flail harvester has been used in the past. A monster truck rally would make quite a mess of any crop.
Wooden posts, large rocks, iron bars or similar bits of scrap metal sticking out of the ground in amongst the crop at harvest time would damage a mechanical harvester (this may not be acceptable tactics to everyone). Any other ideas put 'em in the guestbook.
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Links
Scottish genetix action
Totnes genetics group
genetic engineering network
A far more comprehensive guide to GM trashing
