Each genetiX snowball participant will invite two others to join the next round of action, potentially increasing participation exponentially, hence the name. Farmers hosting test field sites have been contacted by letter to inform them about the campaign, reassure them, and invite them to join in and pull up the crops themselves. The campaign has also written to the biotechnology companies involved in the trials. Snowball participants carry and leave at the test field site a personal statement explaining the reasons for their action. As an act of civil responsibility , as opposed to civil disobedience the action expresses the participant s convictions that the GE crops are liable to cause damage to other crops, through cross pollination or gene transfer and therefore people are obliged to pull them up to prevent further damage.
Participants are willing to risk arrest and justify their actions in a court of law.
The actions happen on the first and third Saturdays of the month and each participant removes a maximum of one hundred plants. The campaign puts the emphasis on involving many people to ensure the genetiX snowball campaign is genuinely participatory and democratic. The GE plants are placed in sealed bags and clearly labelled as a biohazard for disposal by the environment agency. Participants wear protective clothing and take safety measures to ensure genetic pollution will not spread from the site. The police have also been informed of the peaceful nature of the campaign GenetiX snowball is calling for a five year moratorium on the release of GE crops into the environment pending further research and public consultation.