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Friends of the Earth demands sacking of industry scientists in
EFSA shake up
Brussels, 30 May 2006 - Friends of the Earth Europe has today warned the
European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) that it will only gain public trust if
it frees itself from the biotechnology industry and employs neutral
scientists. EFSA is expected to announce new members of its scientific
panels this week.
Adrian Bebb, GM Foods Campaigner for Friends of the Earth Europe said,
"Europe's food safety agency needs to be cleaner than clean if it wants to
build trust with the general public. In the past it has employed
industry-friendly scientists who have dismissed all safety concerns and
rubber-stamped virtually every application by the biotech industry."
"EFSA is now installing a new set of scientists and this time, public health
and environmental safety must be put before the interests of big business,"
added Bebb.
Criticism of EFSA's work on genetically modified foods (GM or GMOs) has been
growing over recent months with both national Environment Ministers and the
European Commission calling for more transparency, and more investigation
into the long term effects of GM crops and foods (1).
Recent papers released by the European Commission to Friends of the Earth
Europe were critical of EFSA's methods, describing one study that EFSA
relied on as "scientifically flawed". The Commission papers also outline how
cancer and allergies from eating GM foods cannot be ruled out and recommend
that GM crops should not be grown until their long-term effects are known.
(2)
Friends of the Earth Europe accuses EFSA of three major discrepancies:
- EMPLOYMENT OF INDUSTRY-FRIENDLY SCIENTISTS: EFSA's GMO Panel contains a
number of influential scientists that have strong pro-GMO interests. (3)
- EMPLOYMENT OF SCIENTISTS WITH CONFLICTS OF INTEREST: A large number of
EFSA scientists also sit on national food safety committees. This means that
they are asked to judge opinions that they helped write in the first place.
- DECLARATION OF INTERESTS NOT LEGALLY ENFORCED: EFSA has refused to enforce
EU law requiring all the scientists to declare any interests. Most
scientists leave their declaration forms blank in spite of clear pro-GM
interests.(4)
Friends of the Earth Europe first accused EFSA of being biased towards the
biotechnology industry in a report in November 2004 (5). Since then EFSA has
given positive opinions to all but one application for new GMOs and has disregarded virtually every safety concern raised by scientists working for
the 25 EU member states.
Environment Ministers from almost all member states criticised EFSA's work
on GMOs at the March Environment Council, forcing the European Commission to
introduce new proposals in April. These called on EFSA to justify why they
do not accept scientific objections from member states and to address the
long-term safety effects of genetically modified foods and crops.
Contacts:
* Adrian Bebb,
GM campaigner at Friends of the Earth Europe: +49 1609 99 19 51,
adrian.bebb@foeeurope.org
* Helen Holder,
GM campaigner at Friends of the Earth Europe: +32 474 857 638,
helen.holder@foeeurope.org
*
Rosemary Hall, Communications Officer at Friends of the Europe: +32 485 930,
515, rosemary.hall@foeeurope.org
Notes:
1. The Commission has proposed practical improvements to the way the
European GMO legislative framework is implemented. Press release IP/06/498,
12 April 2006.
2. See Hidden Uncertainties
http://www.foeeurope.org/press/2006/joint_18_April_GMOs.htm
3. Examples of pro-GM scientists include:
- one scientist was until recently a consultant for a GMO investment
company: Mike Gasson acted until last year as a consultant to Danisco
Venture - a venture capital company that invests in biotech companies.
- three scientists are supporters of a pro-GMO pressure group: Hans-Jörg
Buhk, Joachim Schiemann and George Sakalaris are supporters/members of the Public Research and Regulation, an industry-funded pressure group that
campaigns for weaker biosafety legislation and campaigns against public
access to information.
- two scientists who appeared on a GM industry promotional video: Jorg Buhk
and Dartlef Bartsch gave interviews in a film promoting GM maize.
In addition, EFSA employs a large number of external experts to help it
write its opinions. This list of experts includes Andrew Cockburn (former
Director of Scientific Affairs at the US biotech corporate Monsanto) and
Richard Phipps (a researcher who has worked for many GM companies including
Monsanto and Germany's Bayer).
4. Buhk was on the steering group for the biggest GM conference in 2004 but
failed to declare this as an interest. Both Buhk and Schiemann have not
declared their support of the Public Research and Regulation as an interest.
5. See Throwing Caution to the Wind,
http://www.foeeurope.org/GMOs/publications/EFSAreport.pdf
Friends of the Earth Europe campaigns for sustainable and fair societies and for the protection of the environment,
unites more than 30 national organisations with thousands of local groups
and is part of the world's largest grassroots environmental network, Friends of the Earth International.
