There is no scientific consensus to support the assertion that GMOs are safe

By MARCO CONTIERO

Multinational biotech companies and several scientists are playing Russian roulette with our food and farming systems. They claim that genetically modified organisms (GMOs) are a safe bet, just because the bullet is still in the chamber.

Some commentators – including in this publication – have fallen for the myth of a scientific consensus on the safety of GMOs. They accuse anti-GMO campaigners of sowing doubt. This accusation is a gross misrepresentation of the scientific debate in Europe and elsewhere.

Regulators are sometimes also taken in. The European Commission maintains that there is no evidence of harm and that any disagreement with EU countries is not about the science. In reality, over a period of 15 years, many countries have expressed scientific concerns about the safety of GMOs and EU risk assessment procedures.

The myth of consensus

Already in 2008, EU countries unanimously raised concerns about the EU risk assessment process. In 2009, EU countries formally confronted the Commission with unresolved scientific questions about GM crops. Several governments also raised scientific concerns to justify bans on the cultivation of GM crops on their territories.

There is no scientific consensus to support the assertion that GMOs are safe.