January 9, 2002
		Former Greenpeace Leader Now Advising Monsanto Lord Peter Melchett, the former executive director of Greenpeace UK, announced on January 7 that he had taken a job at Burson-Marsteller, the world's largest public relations company, which represents Monsanto and the European biotech industry. The former Labour minister remains on the board of Greenpeace International, and will be a consultant to clients such as Monsanto, advising on matters such as how to handle protests from environmentalists. Burson-Marsteller has represented the likes of the Nigerian government to cast doubt on reports of genocide during the Biafran war, and the Indonesian government after the massacres in East Timor. Corporate clients have included the Three Mile Island nuclear power plant, and Union Carbide after a gas leak killed up to 15,000 people in Bhopal, India. They also represented the British government after mad cow disease was discovered. Stephan Tisdale, the director of Greenpeace UK, said he did not have a conflict with Melchett's new employment. "Anyone who knows Peter will know that he hasn't changed his agenda at all. He sees Burson-Marsteller as a conduit to some very influential companies who would not normally talk to environmentalists. In some ways Greenpeace helped him back, and he has become more radical after leaving last year." Others, however, saw a conflict of interest. "How can you have a man who is on the board of Greenpeace International and a policy adviser to the Soil Association taking money from the GM [genetic modification] industry and companies with some of the worst records imaginable?" asked Kate Jones, a former anti-biotech activist.