About 40 Greenpeace militants tried to prevent a US shipment of what they claim is 22,000 tons of genetically modified soya from being unloaded Monday at the port of Bassens near Bordeaux.
"We don't want genetically modified crops in France," said Arnaud Apoteker, one of the ecologist movement's militants, as the Greek-registered Polidefkisp with its New Orleans-origin cargo entered the port on the Garonne River.
Apoteker, who is coordinating the Greenpeace action at Bessens, said the crop had been produced by the US company Cargill and was being shipped to the French company Eridania Beghin-Say.
The soya was not labeled and no one could guarantee that it had not been genetically modified so it could not be allowed to enter France, he said.
The militants eventually agreed to let the vessel dock after port authorities said it risked running aground at low tide.
But they were given assurances that the suspect cargo would not be off-loaded -- BORDEAUX (AFP)
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