A large number of European scientists active in agricultural biotechnology research who are actively lobbying for deregulating new gene editing techniques have direct or indirect vested interests in the marketing of plants derived from those techniques, through patents, patent applications, or links with the seed industry. This is revealed today by a new report commissioned by the Greens/EFA in the European Parliament: “Behind the smokescreen: Vested interests of EU scientists lobbying for GMO deregulation”. The report is written by GMWatch co-director Claire Robinson but represents a team effort by a group of researchers and editors. GMWatch

 

 

Who gets to decide how technologies are developed and used in society – and whether they are of genuine benefit or are a response to a genuine need? It is all too common for such decisions to be taken by an elite few – often those who are actively involved in the development of a technology or who have political, financial or ideological interests in its development. A new review from A Bigger Conversation, "Voices From the Ground – Public Engagement in the Regulation of Agricultural Gene Editing", explores the many facets of citizen engagement in the UK and elsewhere through the lens of developments in genetic engineering. despite some promising initiatives, citizen engagement in the UK falls far short of its goal of genuinely informing policy. The review provides best practice case studies from other parts of the world and recommendations for reforming science and technology governance to give citizen engagement a much more substantive role. GMWatch

 

 

The UK government’s “Brexit freedoms bill” could see all legal protections from pesticides abolished, wildlife campaigners have warned, putting insects, wildlife and human health in danger. The bill, published a week ago by prime minister Liz Truss’s new administration, would result in all EU-derived laws being removed at the end of 2023, including 570 environmental regulations. The government could retain or amend some regulations, but has not set out plans to do so. Green NGOs were already concerned by the lack of government action to reduce the harm pesticides cause to the environment, having failed so far to introduce a new action plan on the sustainable use of pesticides, promised in 2018. Ministers have also repeatedly overruled the government’s independent expert panel to allow the use of banned pesticides, such as bee-harming neonicotinoids, on an “emergency” basis. The Guardian

 

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