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EFSA's conflict of interest
Posted: Wednesday, June 17, 2009 4:06 pm
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Dr. Joachim Schiemann has been forced out of his position on the GMO Panel of the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), amid allegations of a "conflict of interest". He's been a long-standing target of European Greens and their activist cohorts, due to his broad engagement with those involved in researching and regulating GM crops. The last straw: his appointment as head of  the Institute for Biosafety of Genetically Modified Plants at the Julius Kühn Institute in Quedlinburg -- where activists recently destroyed 270 GM apple trees, and with them, a decade of research. The EFSA obviously has a conflict of interest--seeking scientific credibility, while rejecting scientific expertise to appease the unappeasable opponents of biotech.

It's impossible to do both, and everyone who has tried, has failed.

"I really regret the decision of the EFSA hierarchy", Dr. Schiemann said. "I would have liked to carry on working on the panel for another three years."

The EFSA has already been marginalized by European politicians and institutions. If the Authority keeps green appeasement on its agenda, it will find itself estranged from mainstream science, as well. Which means Dr. Schiemann is probably better off without the EFSA, than vice versa.

He'll have some serious work on his hands at the Julius Kühn Institute, such as establishing effective security for field trials. That's because, in Germany, it's illegal to guard field trials.
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GMO (noun) 1. An acronym for the term, 'Genetically Modified Organism'. 2. A plant, animal or microbe with a genetic code which has been intentionally altered, such as through forced evolution (see selective breeding); through random mutations induced with radiation or chemicals (see mutagenesis); or through the selective transfer, promoting or silencing of specific genes (see genetic engineering). 3. Most generally, any descendant of a primordial urbiote. (See evolution.)

obelus (noun) A dagger-shaped typographical symbol [ † ] which directs a reader's attention to important matters. From the Greek, obelus, literally, a roasting skewer.

GMObelus (noun, proper) A publication directing the attention of readers to the latest news and commentary regarding the development and use of genetically modified organisms in agriculture and related fields.

peer (noun) 1. One of two or more computers sending data to each other over the same network. 2. One of two or more persons sharing information with each other over such a network. (See also, 'remote peer'.)

peer review (noun phrase)  A process by which peers review information shared over a network, rather than each other. (Compare, argumentum ad hominem.)

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