Lord Peter Melchet is throwing open his farmland near Hunstanton in the UK in order that disgruntled scientists with views opposed to his own can destroy some of the organic crops planted there. Melchet said that, as “a fair minded person, it was only right that the scientific community [also known as “The Silent 800,000”] should have the opportunity to give vent to their own rational beliefs.” Melchet's move follows the decision of a jury to acquit all the “Greenpeace 28” defendants, including Melchet, of charges of criminal damage (Nat. Biotechnol 18, 1015) after they flattened and removed parts of an experimental crop of Aventis GM maize from another Norfolk farmer's fields in July 1999. The British press considered the verdict “legalised sabotage”. Melchet agreed with farmers' representatives who said that the “extraordinary” decision gave the green light to “wanton vandalism and trespass.” Melchet said that, as the property of a rich enterprise that could well afford the ensuing losses, his own crops would make an ideal target for those whose minds were encumbered by rational thought processes. “It's important in a free country that those with destructive tendencies have every opportunity to express themselves.”