GMO Compass

GMO Compass is a pro-GM website that makes claims to neutrality:

GMO Compass is not decidedly 'for' or 'against' genetic engineering. The website does not seek to discourage the use of genetic engineering in food and agriculture, nor does it seek to promote it.

GMO Compass is maintained by the biotech PR firm Genius and web PR firm i-bio Information Biowissenschaften (Transgen).

Who writes the content?

The GMO Compass site claims that the content "is the work of independent science journalists. The writers of GMO Compass are not contractually restricted and exercise journalistic freedom in the selection and presentation of the website's content."

Helena Paul, author of the book Hungry Corporations, told GMWatch that she sent a message asking for a list of the journalists to GMO Compass's "comments welcome" address. It bounced. However, the message bounced back from the following address: cloewer[AT]genius-biotech.de

- a Genius email address.

"cloewer" turns out to be: Dr. Christoph Löwer, GENIUS GmbH Robert-Bosch-Str. 7 D-64293 Darmstadt Germany ... e-mail: christoph.loewer[AT]genius.de

Staff

The following list of GMO Compass editorial staff is current as at January 2011.

From Genius:

• Dr. Kristina Sinemus. She is the CEO of Genius.
• Dr. Klaus Minol. He is also Assistant Project Management for GMO Safety website and the Scientific Manager of Genius.
• Dr. Alexander Stein

From i-bio Information Biowissenschaften:

• Gerd Spelsberg
• Heike Kreutz
• Sigrid Fuhrmann
• Anika Poetschke

Funding and aims

The setting-up of the GMO Compass website was financially supported by the European Union within the European Commission’s Sixth Framework Programme from 1 January 2005 until 28 February 2007.

Between 2005 and 2007, GMO Compass was funded by European taxpayers to the tune of 460,020 Euros.

However, the European Commission and other EU agencies say they "are not responsible for the content".

GMO Compass has also received funding from the Green Biotechnology Europe (GBE) Unit of EuropaBio, the EU Association for Bioindustries (2007), and from the German Federal Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Consumer Protection (BMELV) (2007-2008).

Cordis, the EU Commission's information service, describes the GMO Compass project as follows:

GMO-COMPASS aims at the establishment of a European consumer-oriented website (www.gmo-compass.org) providing easily comprehensible information on issues of safety evaluation of GMOs and GMO-products. The information on risk analysis, assessment and risk management will be embedded in the general GMO debate closely linked to political, legal and socio-economic aspects along the food chain. A network of local correspondents in EU member states support reporting the national GMO debate. GMO-COMPASS complements the existing information supply and transparency measures of EU institutions and state bodies as well as the websites of lobby groups and scientific institutions. The consumer will be reached:

(1) by the choice of issues presented at the website, which will be orientated consequently along the information needs of consumers

(2) by offering science-based information due to the expectations of laypersons embedded in a balanced reporting including counter-expertise and views of non-scientists

(3) by an intensive off-line and on-line marketing (e.g. content co-operations with consumer- and commercial food related websites, co-operations with consumer organisations)

(4) by appealing journalistic outcomes such as news, interviews, stories, condensed (pocket) information, Q&As, fact sheets and

(5) a close cross-linking between information and public dialogue (on-line discourse).

GMO-COMPASS will support important goals in the EU-commission's strategy for consumer information: - stronger presence and awareness of science-based facts in the public debate - transparency in the safety evaluation regulatory practice of GMOs - by that - supporting more public trust in food safety of GMOs and the precautionary principle- providing and facilitating a dialogue between consumers, scientific experts and stakeholders on risk perception and consumer expectations on food quality and safety of GMO.

Cordis names the contact organisation for GMO Compass as Genius. It lists two other "participant organisations":

• Gerd Spelsberg. He is founder of the web PR firm i-bio Information Biowissenschaften (Transgen).
• TUV NORD EnSys Hannover GmbH & CO. KG

Skewed poll

In May 2008, in the days running up to an important meeting of European Union Commissioners to discuss the approval of a number of GMOs, GMO Compass ran a poll on GM foods and crops on its website.

Simultaneously, noted GMWatch, a number of pro-GM lobby groups e-mailed their supporters telling them to complete the poll ahead of the meeting on the 7th. Here, for example, is what the European Federation of Biotechnology told its members:

A pro-biotech internet survey will be launched on the www.GMO-compass.org website in the coming 2 days and would encourage you to answer the few questions and circulate this email encouraging other people to log on and answer the yes/no questions asap and certainly before midday on May 6th.

GMWatch reported that the pro-GM lobbyist Klaus Ammann was even more explicit about the purpose of the poll on his listserv:

I am sure you have been alerted through several channels about a poll, which is of political importance. it has been distributed since last Wednesday: the pro-biotech survey is now on line at www.gmo-compass.org and needs your input please!

THE DEADLINE IS BY TOMORROW 8.00 pm

The objective is to get as many positive answers as possible by next Tuesday evening before the College of Commissioners meeting on Wednesday but also to continue collecting positive votes at least until the day before the 27 EU Ministers for the environment meet to discuss GMOs as well on June 5th.

GMWatch reported that the poll was subsequently claimed to have shown 90% support for GMOs.

GMWatch reported that Genius, the German agency that runs the GMO-Compass website, admitted when pressed by journalists that the poll would be used by pro-GM forces.

Here are the biased questions (which make positive assumptions about GMOs for which no evidence is given) in the GMO Compass poll:

Should European agriculture make use of the best available technologies, including biotechnology and genetic engineering, to minimise negative effects on the environment and to optimise the global food supply?

Results to date:

Yes 93.91%

No 4.15%

Don't know 1.18%

No answer 0%

Should all available technologies, including biotechnology and genetic engineering, be considered as tools to improve plants and crops in order to meet the challenges of increasing production while reducing environmental impact?

Results to date:

Yes 94.92%

No 3.72%

Don't know 1.18%

No answer 0%

Do you agree that plants which, for example, grow well under drought conditions and/or have been improved for nutritional content, should be available to be grown as a means of improving global food supply and combating malnutrition?

Results to date:

Yes 96.28%

No 2.54%

Don't know 0.76%

No answer 0%

Contact

Genius GmbH

Robert-Bosch-Str. 7

64293 Darmstadt

Germany

www.gmo-compass.org