Pantomime cows, handcuffs and irate Sainsbury's managers.

Pantomime cows, handcuffs and irate Sainsbury's managers.

A large scale direct action protest hit Swansea Sainsburys supermarket today. Anti-Genetic engineering activists dressed as cows handcuffed themselves to the milk area inside the store and to the doors.Sainsbury's manager became irate but was calmed down by the arrival of a dozen police officers.

While pantomime cows did a dance for the media outside while swansea shoppers were asked to sign Greenpeace petitions against GM milk. In a shocking report, there's every chance the milk in your tea is not GM-free if you buy at Sainsburys. GM is sneaking into milk because dairy herds in the UK are fed on GM crops imported from the USA.

A cameraperson from Undercurrents News Network was threathened with arrest for daring to record the protest but he continued to get the story claiming that it was in the public interest. Police grabbed his camera leaving greasy fingerprints across the lens.

A spokesperson for undercurrents said,
"Police should realise that this is an issue which the public feel strongly about. Welsh and the other people of Britain don't want dairy herds to be fed on GM. A poll run in August 2003 found that 77% of people would prefer to eat or buy dairy, meat or fish products fed on a non-GM diet. If the mainstream media won't put the spotlight on these supermarkets, then it was to be up to the alternative media to raise the issues amongst the Swansea public."

Supermarkets are on a slippery slope backwards when it comes to GM. They're saying that because customers no longer raise the issue, it's okay for them to undo their past no-GM policies, starting with GM animal feed.

One activist said
"This is not acceptable. Sainsbury's claims it can't take GM out of milk products - but M&S already have! We believe Sainsbury's should commit to going non-GM on animal feed.

A new report released last week showed that milk producers could go GM-free at no cost to consumers or dairy farmers. The added cost of less than 1p per litre could be easily absorbed by retailers, whose huge mark-ups on dairy lines could comfortably accommodate the switch..

Sainsbury's refuse to comment on the protest or the issues raised.