Four people have been arrested following a protest against genetically modified crops in Fife.

An estimated 250 people from across Scotland converged on Wester Friarton Farm at Newport on Saturday.

The event was billed as a "Tea in the Field" protest, involving barbecues, music, stalls and speeches.

The vast majority of the people don't want GM crop trials and they don't want to eat GM food

Sally Romilly Protester

Organisers said that about 70 anti-GM crop demonstrators trampled crops in the field.

Fife Constabulary confirmed that four people had been arrested during a protest and said reports would be submitted to the procurator fiscal at Cupar.

Those arrested are believed to include an official of Dundee Trades Council.

Green MSP Robin Harper told the crowd that the issue of GM crop trials would not go away, as he believed the government hoped it would.

Protester Maurice Romilly, 81, said locals did not want the trials to go ahead in Fife.

"The protest was billed as a fun demonstration but as the afternoon wore on the protesters got down to the serious business," he said.

Weekend vigils

His daughter Sally, also from Newport, said the campaigners were angry because the Scottish Executive had not listened to them.

"We have been campaigning for many months against it and we have tried to go through the democratic process," she said.

"The vast majority of the people don't want GM crop trials and they don't want to eat GM food."

Campaigners have been mounting weekend vigils outside the field of oil seed rape for several months.

Saturday's protest was the largest at the site so far.

Previous demonstrations have focused on the village of Munlochy at Easter Ross in the Highlands, the site of a trial by the same seed company.