Michael Meacher, UK Environment Minister, addressed many prominentscientists at the launch of an In-dependent Science Panel (ISP), set upto counteract what they see to be a concerted campaign by thegovernment and the scientific establishment to promote geneticmodification (GM) under the guise of sound’ science.

‘Thisamounts to open scientific rebellion, possibly unprecedented inhistory,’ said Mae-Wan Ho, Director of the Institute of Science inSociety, who initiated the move, and confessed to having been taken bysurprise, and to being delighted by the positive response of thescientists contacted.

Many scientists are frustrated at the lackof open public debate on a whole range of scientific and other issues.The discussion meetings’ organised by the government are invariablystacked with pro-GM scientists hyping the potential benefits of GM, andgiving the public bland assurances that ‘there is no evidence of harm’.

Themove to set up an Independent Science Panel (ISP) was precipitated bythe interview with Michael Meacher, published in the March issue of TheEcologist, in which he suggested that GM technology is not necessary tosolve world hunger and could prove dangerous over the longer term,something that the scientists have been saying for years.

Speakersincluded David Bellamy, Arpad Pusztai, who presented the clearest, mostdamning evidence that GM food is by no means safe, Gundula Azeez,Policy Manager of the Soil Association and Vyvyan Howard,toxico-pathologist at the University of Liverpool who exposed thefact-free’ anti-precautionary risk assessment that industry andregulators routinely use, that is based on little or no relevant data.
The audience was so inspired that the hall was still buzzing after the conference ended.
FURTHER INFORMATION : ISIS. Tel: 0207 383 3376
WEB SITE : http://​www​.​i​-sis​.org​.uk