Geneticist calls for broader GM debate
The Herald (Glasgow), UK
March 15, /2001
by Vic Robertson
A PLEA for more reason in the debate on biotechnology and
genetic modification was issued by one of the world's leading authorities
on the subject yesterday. The debate had become one of emotion rather
than of more substantive issues, said Professor Channapatna Prakash, director
of the Centre of Plant Biotechnology Research at Tuskegee University in
Alabama, US.
"We have done more than 25,000 field tests with these crops
so far and not one single issue of alarm has been raised and we have very
high standards of food safety regulation in the US," he told an invited
audience at the US embassy in London. It had adopted a science-based approach
and found that the risks attached to GM material were no different from
conventional stock. He acknowledged there was considerable opposition
to GM technology but claimed this was due to the "vested interest" of
certain groups, such as Friends of the Earth, Greenpeace and the organic
community. "I think we need to engage in dialogue with these groups. "For
example, Christian Aid is worried about socio-economic inequities that
may follow on from the use of these technologies. But these are not clear
cut, black-and-white issues and they need to be discussed."
He said the current state of genetic technology was equivalent
to the Model T. Progress in the study of genomics in plants and animals
would eventually lead to advances that consumers could relate to, such
as improvements in food safety, reduced toxins and allergens and improved
nutrition.
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