Difference between revisions of "Panel on Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO)"

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The [[Panel on Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO)]] is usually known as the [[GMO Panel]]. It is the expert panel of the [[European Food Safety Authority]] that issues scientific opinions on genetically modified (GM) crops and foods. Based on these opinions, the EU authorities vote on whether to approve or reject a GM crop or food.
 
The [[Panel on Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO)]] is usually known as the [[GMO Panel]]. It is the expert panel of the [[European Food Safety Authority]] that issues scientific opinions on genetically modified (GM) crops and foods. Based on these opinions, the EU authorities vote on whether to approve or reject a GM crop or food.
  
==Affiliations==
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==Activities and affiliations==
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===Criticisms===
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Dr [[Arpad Pusztai]] is an internationally renowned scientist who conducted groundbreaking research into the safety of GM potatoes and was fired and gagged when he found problems and spoke about them on British television. In an email to GMWatch (dated 10 August 2008) on the tenth anniversary of his 15 seconds of TV fame, he wrote of GM food safety and the EFSA's GMO Panel:
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:On this anniversary I have to admit that, unfortunately, not much has changed since 1998. In one of the few sentences I said in my broadcast ten years ago, I asked for a credible GM testing protocol to be established that would be acceptable to the majority of scientists and to people in general. 10 years on we still haven't got one. Instead, in Europe we have an unelected EFSA GMO Panel with no clear responsibility to European consumers, which invariably underwrites the safety of whatever product the GM biotech industry is pushing onto us.
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In 2010, Testbiotech published the report [[European Food Safety Authority: A playing field for the biotech industry]].  The report addresses conflicts of interest within the [[GMO Panel]] membership to demonstrate how the Panel's relationship with the biotech industry - and in particular via the influence of a task force of the [[International Life Sciences Institute]] (ILSI) - resulted in comparative assessment being taken as the starting point in the EFSA guidelines on risk assessment of genetically engineered plants.  Comparative assessment, an approach to risk assessment which assumes equivalence between conventional breeding and genetic engineering, has serious implications for the scientific rigour of research into the risks of genetically engineered plants.<ref>Testbiotech, "[http://www.testbiotech.de/sites/default/files/EFSA_Playing_Field_of_ILSI.pdf European Food Safety Authority: A playing field for the biotech industry]," Testbiotech report, 2010, accessed 9 January 2013.</ref>
  
 
==Funding==
 
==Funding==
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==People==
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===GMO Panel members appointed 2012===
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:[[Joe Perry]], Chair
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:[[Patrick du Jardin]], Vice-chair
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:[[Gijs Kleter]], Vice-chair
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:[[Salvatore Arpaia]]
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:[[Andrew Nicholas Edmund Birch]]
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:[[Andrew Chesson]]
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:[[Achim Gathmann]]
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:[[Jürgen Gropp]]
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:[[Lieve Herman]]
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:[[Hilde-Gunn Hoen-Sorteberg]]
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:[[Huw Jones]]
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:[[Jozsef Kiss]]
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:[[Pagona Lagiou]]
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:[[Martinus Lovik]]
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:[[Antoine Messéan]]
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:[[Hanspeter Naegeli]]
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:[[Kaare M. Nielsen]]
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:[[Jaroslava Ovesna]]
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:[[Nils Rostoks]]
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:[[Christoph Tebbe]]<ref>EFSA, [http://www.efsa.europa.eu/en/gmo/gmomembers.htm Members of the Panel on Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO)], accessed 04 October 2012.</ref>
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===Former GMO Panel members 2002-2012===
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[[Harry Kuiper]] (Chair), [[Sirpa Kärenlampi]] (Vice-Chair), [[Hans Christer Andersson]], [[Detlef Bartsch]], [[Josep Casacuberta]], [[Howard Davies]], [[Gerhard Flachowsky]], [[Annette Poeting]], [[Jeremy Sweet]], [[Atte Johannes von Wright]], [[Jean-Michel Wal]]
  
 
==Contact==
 
==Contact==
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:Website:  
 
:Website:  
 
:...
 
:...
 
==Resources==
 
  
 
==Notes==
 
==Notes==

Revision as of 20:58, 12 January 2013

The Panel on Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO) is usually known as the GMO Panel. It is the expert panel of the European Food Safety Authority that issues scientific opinions on genetically modified (GM) crops and foods. Based on these opinions, the EU authorities vote on whether to approve or reject a GM crop or food.

Activities and affiliations

Criticisms

Dr Arpad Pusztai is an internationally renowned scientist who conducted groundbreaking research into the safety of GM potatoes and was fired and gagged when he found problems and spoke about them on British television. In an email to GMWatch (dated 10 August 2008) on the tenth anniversary of his 15 seconds of TV fame, he wrote of GM food safety and the EFSA's GMO Panel:

On this anniversary I have to admit that, unfortunately, not much has changed since 1998. In one of the few sentences I said in my broadcast ten years ago, I asked for a credible GM testing protocol to be established that would be acceptable to the majority of scientists and to people in general. 10 years on we still haven't got one. Instead, in Europe we have an unelected EFSA GMO Panel with no clear responsibility to European consumers, which invariably underwrites the safety of whatever product the GM biotech industry is pushing onto us.

In 2010, Testbiotech published the report European Food Safety Authority: A playing field for the biotech industry. The report addresses conflicts of interest within the GMO Panel membership to demonstrate how the Panel's relationship with the biotech industry - and in particular via the influence of a task force of the International Life Sciences Institute (ILSI) - resulted in comparative assessment being taken as the starting point in the EFSA guidelines on risk assessment of genetically engineered plants. Comparative assessment, an approach to risk assessment which assumes equivalence between conventional breeding and genetic engineering, has serious implications for the scientific rigour of research into the risks of genetically engineered plants.[1]

Funding

People

GMO Panel members appointed 2012

Joe Perry, Chair
Patrick du Jardin, Vice-chair
Gijs Kleter, Vice-chair
Salvatore Arpaia
Andrew Nicholas Edmund Birch
Andrew Chesson
Achim Gathmann
Jürgen Gropp
Lieve Herman
Hilde-Gunn Hoen-Sorteberg
Huw Jones
Jozsef Kiss
Pagona Lagiou
Martinus Lovik
Antoine Messéan
Hanspeter Naegeli
Kaare M. Nielsen
Jaroslava Ovesna
Nils Rostoks
Christoph Tebbe[2]

Former GMO Panel members 2002-2012

Harry Kuiper (Chair), Sirpa Kärenlampi (Vice-Chair), Hans Christer Andersson, Detlef Bartsch, Josep Casacuberta, Howard Davies, Gerhard Flachowsky, Annette Poeting, Jeremy Sweet, Atte Johannes von Wright, Jean-Michel Wal

Contact

Address:
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Phone:
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Email:
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Website:
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Notes

  1. Testbiotech, "European Food Safety Authority: A playing field for the biotech industry," Testbiotech report, 2010, accessed 9 January 2013.
  2. EFSA, Members of the Panel on Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO), accessed 04 October 2012.