Life Sciences Network Hedge Their Bets On GE Safety

Tuesday 25 June, Auckland. Despite GE foods having been approved and released into our food chain without any long term testing, Life Sciences Network is claiming that ‘Approved use of GM is safe’.

“In the same press release, Life Sciences Network then hedge their bets by saying, ‘this doesn’t guarantee absolute safety; but then nothing does…’ (1). How safe is safe enough? It sounds like cigarettes in the 50s, or 2-4-5T in the 70s – called safe and then proven otherwise,” said Annette Cotter, GE campaigner for Greenpeace.

“Life Sciences Network’s conclusion that all ‘approved GE’ is safe is way off the mark. They are blindly putting all their faith in regulatory processes that have made mistakes before.”

For example, in the US, GE corn called Starlink was approved for animal consumption only, in order to avert the risk of human allergenicity. But once approved for environmental release, Starlink proved impossible to keep out of the human food chain. Millions were spent by the GE company Aventis to recall the corn.

“This corn is not safe for humans, the environment or business but was approved by the authorities.” “The Pro-GE lobby is sounding more and more desperate in the face of widespread public resistance to GE. Their latest tactic is to trot out former environmentalist, and industry apologist Patrick Moore to try and discredit Greenpeace.

“This is a poor attempt at green washing that no one is convinced by. Groups are familiar with Mr Moore, whose arguments did not stand up to scrutiny under cross-examination during the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Genetic Modification.”

Patrick Moore is well known in Canada where he is used by the forestry industry to justify logging old-growth forests and appeared during the campaign to halt logging of public land on the West Coast, South Island to speak in favour of Timberlands West Coast.

Contact Annette Cotter 021 565 175, or Brendan Lynch 021 790 817

LSN Press Release, 21 June 02

LSN Joins In GE Visibility Day Activities
http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/PO0206/S00137.htm

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