I pass on for your information this very regretable piece of
news. I heard about it last week and just managed to put my
hands on it.
John Henning, McGill University.
================================================
UNIVERSITY DISMISSES MODIFIED FOOD STUDY
The Toronto Star January 19, 2000, Wednesday, Edition 1 SECTION:
BUSINESS LENGTH: 617 words
HEADLINE: UNIVERSITY DISMISSES MODIFIED FOOD STUDY BYLINE: Stuart
Laidlaw
A University of Guelph scientist challenging the safety of genetically
modified foods is being criticized as ''unethical'' by her boss and
''silly'' by a colleague.
The comments drew accusations the school is trying to ''muzzle'' an
outspoken professor and threatening her academic freedom.
The scientist, Ann Clark, published a report reviewing the safety
research about genetically modified food that is posted on the Health
Canada Web site.
''In a democratic society, one of the purposes of universities is to
be a place where things can be discussed openly and criticized,'' said
James Turk, executive director of the Canadian Association of
University Teachers.
Rob McLaughlin, dean of the agriculture college at the University of
Guelph, said Clark is a specialist on pasture management for livestock
and she should not comment on genetically modified foods.
''The University of Guelph hires her and pays her to do research in
pasture management and she's very good at it, but at the end of the
day we do not hire her, and she is not considered by us to be an
expert in this area,'' McLaughlin said. ''I think her behaviour is
unethical.''
Turk said it is ''ludicrous'' for the university to suggest that Clark
should only comment on a narrow area of expertise.
''One of the ways in which there have been attempts to deny people
freedom of expression and to cut back on academic freedom is to say,
'Well, academics should only be able to comment on the area in which
they're experts,' '' he said.
''If one took that seriously, it would muzzle most academics speaking
about most subjects in this country if you define their areas of
expertise narrowly enough.''
Clark has written numerous studies and given speeches challenging
claims by seed companies that genetically modified crops cut pesticide
use, increase crop yield and are safe to eat.
Yesterday, she released a study saying that research posted on the
Health Canada Web site into the safety of genetically engineered crops
grown in Canada is based on unfounded assumptions and inadequate
research.
Another professor at her school immediately challenged the report.
''If she actually had a report of any substantive nature, she would
have submitted it to a journal,'' said Doug Powell, food safety expert
at the University of Guelph.
''This is silly,'' Powell said.
''It's just a superficial examination worthy of high school.''
Powell said he has seen studies conducted by seed companies that are
much more in depth than those posted on the Health Canada Web site.
He would like to see companies making their studies more widely
available.
''That's a communication problem, not a scientific problem,'' he said.
Clark said she volunteered to research and write the report on her own
time, and did not receive any funding from the Council of Canadians,
which set up a Web site to post the report.
Her study, Food Safety of GM crops in Canada, says that because the
proteins found in 17 genetically modified crops do not share
characteristics with proteins known to be toxic, those crops are
assumed by Health Canada not to be toxic.
The same assumptions are made for allergens.
The report calls into question the substantial equivalence test used
by governments around the world to approve genetically modified foods.
Under that test, if a genetically modified food is deemed more or less
similar to that of unmodified food, it is assumed to be safe and is
approved for sale without further testing.
Clark said she is not saying the food is unsafe, just that further
study is needed.
LANGUAGE: English LOAD-DATE: January 19, 2000 İEntered January 19,
2000¨
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