Prove claims, scientists dare anti-GMO activist

A leading Filipino scientist recently challenged a visiting Norwegian anti-GMO activist to "come up with solid evidence" before airing allegations that could cause panic in the local agriculture sector.

Dr. Nina Barzaga, director of the Institute of Biotechnology & Molecular Biology at the National Institutes of Health in University of the Philippines-Manila, said claims made by Terje Traavik that respiratory ailments among members of South Cotabato’s B’laan tribe were caused by the genetically-modified Bt corn variety were "mere scare tactics."

"Traavik needs to show pertinent scientific data that establish his claims before making press releases and unduly causing panic to the public," Barzaga added.

Without these data, she said Traavik "must not be given the chance to have the exposure that he craves for with these scare tactics." Barzaga heads one of several organizations of Filipino scientists which openly backed the adoption by the government of the agricultural development policy which anchored the country’s food security program on biotechnology.

Local health and agriculture authorities have also belied Traavik’s claim. The Bureau of Plant Industry (BPI) issued a statement saying it has made "a thorough review of the safety of Bt corn to human and animals." No toxic or allergenic effect is associated with the approved Bt corn variety, it pointed out.

Contrary to some claims, Bt corn does not emit unusual odor during flowering, the BPI added.

South Cotabato health officials, meanwhile, said the respiratory infection in the area "has been a common illness for the past few months". It is premature to conclude that these illnesses are due to factors other than viruses causing respiratory tract infection, they added.

The other scientist groups that supported the government’s adoption of biotechnology were the Women Association of Scientists in the Philippines, The Philippine Association for the Advancement of Crop Science and Technology, the Crop Science Society of the Philippines and the Biochemical Society of the Philippines.

It was also backed by the Philippine Maize Federation, the country’s biggest organization of corn farmers.

The policy, however, was opposed by international pressure group Greenpeace which warned Philippine authorities that biotechnology "can lead to millions of dead bodies, sick children, cancer clusters and deformities."