www.checkbiotech.org ; www.raupp.info ; www.czu.cz

A militant French farmer best known for ransacking a half-built McDonald's
was sentenced Tuesday to four months in prison for destroying a field of
genetically modified corn planted by an American seed company in southern
France, November 2005.

Jose Bove, the farmer turned anti-globalization activist, stood trial in
September with eight others, including a Green Party lawmaker and a French
member of the European Parliament, both of whom received three-month
sentences Tuesday. Five other defendants were handed two-month suspended
sentences.

The field in the town of Menville, near the southern city of Toulouse,
belonged to Pioneer Hi-Bred International Inc., a DuPont subsidiary based in
Johnston, Iowa. Bove and others called their attack in July 2004 an act of
"civil disobedience."

Bove served five weeks in jail in 2003 for destroying a field of genetically
engineered corn and rice crops. As a repeat offender, he received the
highest penalty Tuesday. Bove's attorney said he client planned to appeal.

The farmer gained celebrity status in France after ransacking a McDonald's
restaurant in 1999 that was under construction near his home in France.

www.checkbiotech.org

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