PR push for Science Academies to support GM-foods

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GMW: PR push for Science Academies to support GM-foods

" GM WATCH " <info

Tue, 30 May 2006 23:30:24 +0100

 

 

 

 

 

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http://www.gmwatch.org

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1.Science Academies support GM-foods

2.Klaus Ammann - GM WATCH profile

 

The ardent supporter and lobbyist for GMOs Klaus Ammann is in the thick

of these " researchers in the field of green genetic technology [ie GM

crops] " who are working on a pro-GM manifesto which they're going to try

and get as many as they can of the world's Science Academies to

support.

 

While Ammann denounces the likes of Greenpeace as campaigners, at least

they are open about their campaigning. Ammann and his kind are

something far more insidious - pro-GM activists who dress up their

campaigning

and PR promotionals as the authoritative voice of science.

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1.Science Academies support GM-foods

By Norbert Lossau

Die Welt, May 30, 2006

Translated by Mark Hutcko and Stephan Nyeki, CheckBiotech

http://www.checkbiotech.org/root/index.cfm?fuseaction=news & doc_id=12872 & start=1 & \

control=182 & page_start=1 & page_nr=101 & pg=1

 

BERLIN – During last weekend's international meeting of the Science

Academy in Berlin, twelve leading researchers in the field of green

genetic technology worked on a manifesto which aims to clarify the

significance of this technology.

 

Scientist from Germany, China, South Africa, India, France, Egypt,

Switzerland and the USA unanimously declared that transgenic food is at

least as safe as other food. Genetically modified plants pose no danger

to the environment and they don't conflict with so-called

bio-agriculture [ie organic agriculture].

 

Professor Klaus Ammann of the University of Berne accused Greenpeace of

spreading " lies " in this respect. Professor Walter Heldt of the

University of Goettingen and chairman of the Academic Union Commission

for

Green Genetic Technology emphatically called for an objective instead of

an ideological discussion about green genetic technology.

 

This manifesto, compiled in Berlin by the so-called Interacademy Panel,

will be submitted to all science academies around the World for

ratification. It is probable that a majority of the academies will

support the

paper, which could then be presented to the public, in December.

 

© Copyright Die Welt

 

Original text

 

Die Akademien der Wissenschaft setzen sich für " Gen-Food " ein

 

BERLIN - Auf einer internationalen Tagung der Akademien der

Wissenschaft haben am Wochenende in Berlin zwölf führende Forscher der

Grünen

Gentechnik an einem Manifest gearbeitet, das den hohen Stellenwert dieser

Technologie verdeutlichen soll. Die Akademie-Forscher aus Deutschland,

China, Südafrika, Indien, Frankreich, Ägypten, der Schweiz sowie den USA

stellten einmütig fest, daß genetisch veränderte Lebensmittel

mindestens genauso sicher seien, wie andere Nahrungsgüter. Genetisch

veränderte

Pflanzen stellten keine Gefahr für die Umwelt dar, und sie ständen auch

nicht im Widerspruch zur sogenannten biologischen Landwirtschaft.

Professor Klaus Ammann von der Universität Bern warf in diesem

Zusammenhang

der Umweltschutzorganisation Greenpeace die Verbreitung von " Lügen "

vor. Professor Hans Walter Heldt von der Universität Göttingen und

Vorsitzender der Kommission Grüne Gentechnik der Akademieunion forderte

nachdrücklich eine sachliche statt ideologisch geprägte Diskussion

über Grüne

Gentechnik.

 

Das jetzt in Berlin vom sogenannten Interacademy Panel (iap)

erarbeitete Manifest wird allen Wissenschaftsakademien der Welt zur

Ratifizierung

vorgelegt. Es ist sehr wahrscheinlich, daß sich eine Mehrheit für das

Papier aussprechen wird. Es könnte dann im Dezember offiziell der

Weltöffentlichkeit vorgestellt werden.

 

© Copyright Die Welt The translation of articles into English is

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Links:

Source: Die Welt

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2.Klaus Ammann

GM WATCH profile

http://www.gmwatch.org/profile1.asp?PrId=8 &

 

Klaus Ammann is Director of the Botanical Garden, University of Bern,

Switzerland

 

With John Beringer, Julian Kinderlerer, Alan McHughen and Mark Tepfer,

Ammann formed the International Society for Biosafety Research, whose

journal, Environmental Biosafety Research, he edits.

 

He sits on steering committees for the following groups:

 

*The European Science Foundation group, Assessment of Impacts of

Genetically Modified Plants (AIGM)

 

*Gensuisse, a GM promotion group funded by the pharmaceutical industry

body Interpharma Internutrition - a promotion group for GM foods. It

has in its working group representatives from the food industry (e.g.

Nestlé) as well as chemical/GM companies Monsanto, Hoffmann LaRoche,

DuPont, and Syngenta.

 

He is on the Executive Board of the European Federation of

Biotechnology, an organisation of scientists wishing to promote

biotechnology,

which has an extensive corporate membership.

 

Ammann is co-editor of the Bio-Scope Frankfurt-Bern website, supported

by GM industry group Europabio.

 

With C S Prakash and others, Ammann signed an 'Open Letter to the

United Nations Commission on Sustainable Development' (April 2000). The

letter warned the Commission against 'needless over-regulation' of GM on

the grounds of " the very real threat that an overly-strict adherence to

precautionary regulation could pose to both the environment and to the

well being of human populations around the world. "

 

Ammann edits a pro-GM e-mail list and played a leading role together

with CS Prakash in circulating and encouraging the attacks on Quist and

Chapela and their paper on Mexican maize contamination published in

Nature.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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