Global Status of GMO & Non-GMO Crops

The most blatant orchestrated scientific disinformation campaign cannot hide the fact that GMO crops have remained a minority sector in food production and shrinking from overwhelming consumer rejection; in contrast, non-GMO sectors are rapidly...

May 12, 2014 | Source: Institute of Science in Society | by

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Scientific disinformation on GMOs is rife; more so and more blatant than any other area where science has become enmeshed with corporate profit. The battle to reclaim people’s food rights intensifies worldwide as the failures and hazards of GMOs can no longer be concealed behind the relentless propaganda. Within the past 18 months, learned societies, science journals and sundry scientist have joined the fray, spreading false claims that the scientific debate is over and GM food is proven safe, that GM crops are a great success with more miracles on the way, and needed to feed the world (see our response to one of them, Scientific American Disinformation on GMOs, SiS 60).

This most recent global disinformation campaign has been carefully orchestrated. Anne Glover, a molecular biologist at St. Andrews University in Scotland, was appointed the European Commission’s first chief scientific advisor in 2012, and since then, used a series of interviews with EurActiv news network to promote GMOs. In an open letter addressed to Glover, Dr Brian John of GM-Free Cymru wrote: “Your claim that there is no evidence of adverse GMO impacts is a lie.” He referred to a recent list compiled by GM Free USA consisting of more than 1 400 scientific papers on various adverse health and environmental impacts of GM crops and related pesticides, and a statement signed by nearly 300 scientists declaring there is no consensus on the safety of GMOs (Scientists Declare No Consensus on GMO Safety, SiS 60). And ISIS has produced our own comprehensive report on the health and environmental hazards of GMOs especially in the light of the new genetics, recommending individuals, families and local communities everywhere to institute their own ban on GMOs  (Ban GMOs Now). John’s timely letter was released just before Glover went on a mission to sell GMOs to Africa in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

On 14 March, five plant scientists published a report  for UK’s Council for Science and Technology, which advises the Prime Minister, recommending a new programme of “independent research to field test “public good” GM crops,” to “support innovations to benefit consumers and the environment.” It also calls for the current “stringent” regulations of GMOs to be relaxed. Sir Mark Walport, UK’s chief scientific advisor took the opportunity to warn that “people will go unfed” without GM crops. As Geoffrey Lean reminds us, the current drive results from secret meetings of EU prime ministerial representatives called by European Commission president José Manuel Barroso, which decided to “speed up” the spread of GM and overcome public opposition. Barroso subsequently appointed Glover as his scientific adviser.

The report was another travesty, and clearly a desperate, last ditch attempt to foist GM crops on the world.  All five supposedly “independent” plant scientists who authored the report turn out to be mouthpieces of the biotech companies and funded by them [12]. Sir David Baulcombe at Cambridge University works as a consultant for Syngenta, which gives his department research funding. Syngenta’s GM maize GA21 could go into UK farms as early as next spring.  Jonathan Jones at Sainsbury Laboratory, the centre of Britain’s GM research, is part-funded by former Labour science minister, Lord Sainsbury, one of UK’s biggest GM supporters with shares in the industry.  Jim Dunwell at University of Reading was a founder member of biotech industry-funded group CropGen, its mission “to make the case for GM crops and food.” The two remaining authors are John Pickett at Rothamsted Research and Pere Puigdomenech at Universities of Cambridge and Barcelona. Rothamsted is heavily involved in GM research, listing Aventis, Dupont, Novartis, and Syngenta as partners. Puigdomenech was co-chair of the 7th International Plant Molecular Biotechnology Congress sponsored by Monsanto, Bayer, and Dupont, and has close links with the Sainsbury Laboratory, the John Innes Centre, and Rothamsted Research Station.