Man held over attack on GM wheat crop

The country’s first ever GM wheat trial had been taking place at the Rothamsted Research Centre in the South East and was targeted on Sunday morning by an intruder.

A spokesman for the centre confirmed that the intruder caused significant, random property damage, but failed to disrupt the experiment – which is trying to engineer crops which repel damage from aphids. Officers from Hertfordshire Police Force have arrested and charged a man with criminal damage.

The alleged attack has been heavily criticised by the National Farmers’ Union president Peter Kendall who used a speech at the House of Commons to liken the damage to the Nazi book burners of the 1930s.

He said: “Those who have incited this activity, under the guise of a peaceful demonstration, should hang their heads in shame.”

Mr Kendall was launching the NFU’s Farming Delivers campaign to highlight the key role played by the industry.

“I am sorry to say that there still is a widespread view that farming is a low-skilled, low-tech backward looking industry”, Mr Kendall said. “The truth is that much of British agriculture is using cutting-edge technology and the application of science will determine our future.

Farming employs more than 40,000 people across Yorkshire and the North East.