Chief scientists continue to ignore science by promoting GMOs

Wednesday, June 15, 2011 by: Ethan A. Huff, staff writer
Tags: scientists, GMOs, health news

(NaturalNews) U.K. authorities recently released a report entitled Global Food and Farming Futures which recommends that "new technologies" in agriculture not be excluded merely on ethical or moral grounds. But Britain's Chief Scientist took this language and perverted it into an endorsement for genetically-modified organisms (GMOs), despite the fact that a more credible report issued by the International Assessment of Agricultural Knowledge, Scientific and Technology for Development (IAASTD) expresses quite the opposite concerning biotechnology in agriculture.

Upon first release of the report, the U.K. mainstream media went wild, falsely reporting that it proved the need for GMOs to feed the world, and that planting "Frankencrops" is the only way for agriculture to survive in the long term. And Beddington made a series of ignorant and unscientific statements himself, suggesting that GMOs will solve the problems of water shortages and salination, and that they are the "key to human survival."

For being "Chief Scientist", Beddington seems to have a minimal grasp on reality, let alone actual science. Twenty-five years of GMO research has yet to produce a single drought-resistant crop. It has also failed to produce a salt-tolerant crop, or any other crop that outperforms conventional crops, for that matter. It has, however, increased pesticide use and multinational corporate control over agriculture, though. Yet none of these facts stopped the "chief" or the media choir from blabbing their nonsensical opinions about the alleged benefits of GMOs.

The only thing the report actually illustrates is the fact that the current industrial food system and its biotechnological leanings are taking us in the wrong direction. This was also the conclusion of the highly-credible IAASTD report as well, which points toward small-scale, diversified agriculture as the real answer to the world's food problems.

According to GroundTruth, many of the "400 authors and contributors" to the Global Food and Farming Futures report did not even actually contribute to it.

"I didn't participate in any meetings, discussions, findings, or report writing," explained one scientist listed as a contributor. Instead, he was asked to write a review for another publication. He added that GMOs were never mentioned anywhere in any of the material he dealt with, though, and that they were never the issue at hand.

It turns out that a government advisory group actually funded the study with the purpose of convincing officials to keep an open mind to things like GMOs, and to contradict the IAASTD report. So the report is nothing more than an unscientific, fraudulent propaganda piece that Britain's Chief Scientist and his country's media repertoire are using to advance a pro-GMO agenda, and nothing more.

Sources for this story include:

http://www.panna.org/blog/gmo-apologists-ign...