China's GMO research groups will be monitoring GM crop samples more closely as a response to the threat that may be posed by a reported theft In a Hainan province GM research facility. 

The Ministry of Agriculture had issued a warning last month about the irreparable damage that theft of China's genetically modified technology as well as seed samples may cause to the country.  The ministry directed research organizations to be on guard against this threat.

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Aside from emphasizing the need for improved regulation of experiments related to genetically modified food, the ministry also required GM research facilities to improve the security in their facilities by closely supervising and monitoring individuals and vehicles who have access to the bases. 

Huang Dafang, once a member of the country's biosafety committee overseeing agricultural GMO, confirmed that the ministry's notice was published in a leading Chinese daily.

The notice was released after campaigners from Greepeace, an international non-governmental environmental group were caught last month allegedly getting three packets of sample leaves and seeds at a GM research facility at the Huazhong Agricultural University in Hainan. 

According to Huang, the issued notice criticized the environmental organization for allegedly stealing from the GM research base.

Representatives from the agricultural university said that they are still in the process of assessing the effect of the act committed by Greenpeace.

According to the statement from the university, theft of genetically modified samples could lead to the illegal use of and possible leak to other countries of the pilfered GM materials.    

Greenpeace campaigners on the other hand have made a statement denying the accusation. According to Wang Jing, a senior campaigner of Greenpeace who was part of the group that performed the April 11 "field investigation", the samples they are accused of stealing did not come from the experimental field but from surrounding fields. The group said they did this to check the effect of the GM experimental fields on the surrounding areas. 

Wang said her group performed the investigation in Hainan province in response to media reports stating that GM cotton and corn crops were allegedly planted in the province violating certain ministry regulations. 

Wang added that they had to resort to "undercover field investigation" to make it possible for them to do an objective investigation and for them to be able to get samples themselves. 

"During our investigation, we found that the research base had problems with its distance from surrounding farmland, falling short of the national standard of 100 meters," Wang said.

The university however denied this saying that their experimental fields comply with ministry regulations and that they even have erected a 2.7 meter high wall to protect adjacent farmlands.