Belgium, (Brussels Morning Newspaper) A “significant number” of European scientists active in biotechnology research, are allegedly lobbying the EU for deregulating new gene editing techniques, it has been claimed.
This comes, it is alleged, at the same time they have “direct or indirect vested and undisclosed interests in the marketing of plants derived from those techniques via patents, patent applications or via links with the seed industry.”
The allegations are made by lobby watchdog Corporate Europe Observatory in a report commissioned by the Greens-EFA in the European Parliament.
The report, called ‘Behind the smokescreen. Vested interests of EU scientists lobbying for GMO deregulation’, is newly published.
On 25 July 2018 the European Court of Justice (ECJ) ruled that all products derived from new GM techniques like CRISPR, are GMOs and have to be regulated as such.
Since then, it is claimed that “an accelerated lobby campaign by the biotech industry has taken aim at these EU-regulations.”
CEO alleges, “The lobby-goal is to persuade European policymakers to allow the commercialization of genome edited plants and animals without any limiting safety checks, monitoring or labelling.”
Nina Holland, a researcher at Corporate Europe Observatory, said: “While the pesticide and seed industry is lobbying hard against pesticide reduction targets, the same companies are pushing the European Commission to speed up a plan to deregulate crops made by gene editing techniques which are patented, abandoning all safety tests and consumers right to choose.
“Among the loudest voices are biotech-researchers that often have a conflict of interest.”
“Based on the new findings it is clear that policymakers must be very critical towards the claims of these lobby groups, proclaiming the benefits and safety of these crops. They should instead seek expert advice from independent scientists who have no vested interests in the commercialisation of GM technologies and products.”
Holland alleges that giant seed companies try to persuade EU policymakers that consumers might accept new GMOs if they can be convinced of the ecological benefits.
She adds, “This is why it is key for GM developers, whether corporations or researchers, to create hypes about supposed benefits of new GMOs in relation to climate change and sustainable agriculture, even when evidence is lacking, and even when no assessment has been made whether other approaches could not have achieved the same or more benefits. Policymakers should be extremely wary of the biotech industry’s attempts to hype genome edited products as sustainable and climate-friendly.”
Further comment comes from Claire Robinson, co-director of GM Watch and co-author of the report, who said: “I would like to warn Europeans that the lobby for deregulating new GM techniques should be taken seriously, based on what is happening in the UK, where the government is in the process of removing regulatory controls around gene editing technology in food and farming.”
No-one from the commission was immediately available for comment.
