PARIS, 14 oct 2008 (AFP) – Director Greenpeace France appeared Tuesday before the Paris court for airing in June 2006 on its website a map of France mentioning two GM maize plots, whose culture is allowed in France since 1998.

In July 2006, the owners of these fields, one farmer in the Lot-et-Garonne, the other in Haute-Garonne, had already won an interim victory, Justice has ordered the ecological organization to withdraw the site data on.

The suit filed Tuesday against the director of Greenpeace, Pascal Husting, before the 17th Criminal Chamber follows complaints with civil action filed thereafter by both corn growers, Claude et Gilles Medical Menara.

In the night of 26 the 27 July, Claude Menara saw 0,15 hectare mowed his field, corn stalks have been coated in order to form a circle marked with a cross.

This deterioration was immediately claimed by Greenpeace that had fully repaired the damage. For this media action, the organization was campaigning for the right of every citizen to know the places where GMOs are grown.

Both farmers believe that in publishing the map of France GMO fields, together with a text stigmatizing the cultivation of genetically modified organisms, Greenpeace has just “caused” mowing shares.

In comments published on the site, Greenpeace “neither glorified mowing fields, nor called the Reapers to take action”, argued Tuesday Alexandre Faro and Muriel Ruef.

As to indicate the location of GM fields, “this is not information whose secrecy is protected by law”, Have they recalled, whereas neither the publication of the map, nor the remarks were denounced “provocateurs: they only cause GMO research fields, not destroy them”.

The decision was to be taken under advisement to five weeks.