Int’l scientists criticize anti-GMO campaign

Reaffirming its support to biotechnology, the interna-tional scientific community decried recently the anti-GMO campaign being waged by one of their peers.

Terje Traavik, a Norwegian anti-genetically modified organism (GMO) activist, recently came under fire from the international scientific community for apparent breach of ethics for releasing unconfirmed allegations that a GMO corn variety may have caused respiratory ailments in some Filipino tribesmen.

Biotechnology has long been touted as one of modern science’s ally in alleviating world hunger. Thus, scientists have said that every claim for or against it must be backed by the presentation of solid evidence.

The scientists said Traavik, who recently visited the Philippines on an anti-GMO blitz, by-passed the so-called peer review process which could result in "public misinformation and miscommunication."

They accused Traavik of failing to provide "public access to your experimental methods and data which will make it possible for scientists to have a chance to review your work, attempt to repeat it and look for similar examples elsewhere."

"Potentially inaccurate second-hand accounts and possibly exaggerated claims in news media are no substitute for the presentation of solid scientific evidence," the scientists told Traavik.

Among the scientists who cautioned Traavik against making unfounded claims were Bruce Chassy, University of Illinois; Wayne Parrott, University of Georgia; Dr. Peggy Lemaux, University of California, Berkeley; Prof. Tony Shelton, Cornell University; and Dr. Chris Preston, University of Adelaide.

Traavik was also criticized by the local scientific commu-nity for apparent misinfor-mation following his allegations that the planting of the Bt corn variety in Mindanao was responsible for respiratory ailments among the B’laan tribesmen.

Authorities from the Departments of Health and Agriculture belied Traavik’s claims.

Renowned Filipino scientist Dr. Nina Barzaga also disputed Traavik’s claim, saying "talking to the press with too little data is certainly not the way to go."

"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 is a professor of medical microbiology and microbial immunology at the University of the Philippines in Manila.

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.

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 biotech-nology "can lead to millions of dead bodies, sick children, cancer clusters and deformities."