A FARMER last night dismissed claims by protesters that a GM crop in Cheshire had been virtually wiped out.
Activists said 80pc of the maize crop at Sealand had been destroyed following a weekend demonstration at the farm.
But farmer John Cottle dismissed the claims and said only a handful of protesters had turned up for the planned vigil.
Mr Cottle said around 12 people gathered at Birchenfield Farm and stayed until 10pm on Saturday.
He said: "It was a peaceful protest and there were no problems. The demonstrators expected there to be a few more people there but it was the same as a few weeks ago - no-one got in the field and there was no further damage."
There was an "adequate" police presence at the farm on Saturday, according to Mr Cottle who said that the controversial crop is due to be harvested in the next few weeks.
He added he is still to make a decision on the future of the trials.
Last week he revealed he was due to hold talks with the company behind the project, Aventis.
The decision to reassess whether to press ahead with the trial came after a series of attacks on the 10-acre field.
The GM maize field has been targeted three times, twice during organised protests and once under the cover of darkness.
In the highest profile incident last month police arrested six people when 120 protesters gathered at Mr Cottle's farm, which is on the Welsh border.
They were accused of trespassing and trampling over his GM crop.
They flattened around 10pc of the field of GM maize and an area of non-GM maize.
At the weekend, protesters had planned a 24-hour vigil at the farm but the predicted turn- out failed to materialise.
Organiser of the demonstration and vigil, Coun Klaus Armstrong-Braun claimed about 20 people turned up for an organic tea-party and demonstration at the farm, and the vigil lasted some ten hours.
He said activists who normally supported such events had gone to other protests in Scotland, Warwick and Dorset.
Coun Armstrong-Braun claimed there were 56 police officers present which he said was over-kill and he branded them "Rambo police" and complained CS gas and riot shields were visible which upset people and could have incited a riot.
The GM trials are part of an experiment by bio-technical company Aventis, backed by the UK Government, which is due to continue next year.
Mr Cottle has resisted calls from the Welsh Assembly, organic farmers, and from anti-GM campaigners to end the trials of genetically modified maize.
Protesters claim there would be a risk from wind-borne dispersion if the trial continued.
Mr Cottle has vigorously defended his stance and argues GM trials will produce long-term benefits for farming.
