Lord Melchett obituary

Environmental campaigner who as executive director of Greenpeace UK headed action against GM crop trialsThe campaigner, environmentalist and politician Peter Melchett, Lord Melchett, who has died aged 70, is probably best remembered for leading a group of protesters who destroyed a trial crop of genetically modified maize in Norfolk in 1999.He was one of 28 Greenpeace activists who were subsequently charged with theft and criminal damage, but were unexpectedly acquitted by a jury at Norwich crown court the following year. The result was a great victory for the anti-GM movement and the trial was seen as an important reflection of UK public opinion on the GM debate. That position has barely shifted in 20 years. Continue reading...