UK Government: burying GM criticisms - again...
GM_Food_News | 10.01.2003 15:11
The UK Government is again burying information which is critical of GM crops. In this case, the vast majority of 151 responses to a "Scoping Note", published by the Government's Strategy Unit, is critical of GM crops and GM food.
On 25 September 2002 the UK Government's Strategy Unit (SU) published a "Scoping Note" titled:
"The Costs and Benefits of Genetically Modified (GM) Crops"
The SU requested responses to this document by 25 October 2002.
The 151 responses are now available online here:
http://www.strategy.gov.uk/2002/gm/sub.shtml
The vast majority of the responses are critical of GM crops, GM food and/or Government policy of GM crops and GM food.
In typical UK Government style, the potential release of "bad news" on GM crops has again been buried. No announcement has been made on the SU "What's New" section, no press release issued and no e-mail sent to those whose responses have now been published.
Furthermore, the responses are presented as a list of individuals' names, with no indication of the organisation to which the respondant belongs. So, for example, it is necessary to know that "Mark Avery" is with the RSPB, to be able to read the RSPB's view on GM crops.
Additionally, there are many errors in the information presented on the page. For example:
The "Andrew Cockburn" (Monsanto) link contains only a press release from the European Commission
The "P Dale" link contains the letter from Patricia Elliot
The "Geoff King" file is blank
The "Kate O’Connell" filename is wrongly spelled
The "Ronnie Patterson" filename is wrongly spelled
The "Paul Rylott" (Bayer/Aventis) file is blank
The "Catherine Usher" name is wrongly spelled ("Cathrine")
The "Brian Wynne" filename is wrongly spelled
The presentation of contributions is also poor. In many cases, e-mail messages have been "pasted" into a word processing document, without regard for font or line wrapping.
If you are concerned about the burying of this information, and the way in which the contributions critical of GM crops are being hushed up, contact:
Ian Coates, GM Crops Project Team Leader
Prime Minister's Strategy Unit
Tel: 020 7276 1423
Fax: 020 7276 1407
E-mail:
ian.coates@cabinet-office.x.gsi.gov.uk
I suggest you also copy Malcolm Grant ( mjg25@cam.ac.uk), who is Chair of the "GM Public Debate".
Thanks & regards
Marcus Williamson
Editor, Genetically Modified Food-News
http://www.gmfoodnews.com/
"The Costs and Benefits of Genetically Modified (GM) Crops"
The SU requested responses to this document by 25 October 2002.
The 151 responses are now available online here:
http://www.strategy.gov.uk/2002/gm/sub.shtml The vast majority of the responses are critical of GM crops, GM food and/or Government policy of GM crops and GM food.
In typical UK Government style, the potential release of "bad news" on GM crops has again been buried. No announcement has been made on the SU "What's New" section, no press release issued and no e-mail sent to those whose responses have now been published.
Furthermore, the responses are presented as a list of individuals' names, with no indication of the organisation to which the respondant belongs. So, for example, it is necessary to know that "Mark Avery" is with the RSPB, to be able to read the RSPB's view on GM crops.
Additionally, there are many errors in the information presented on the page. For example:
The "Andrew Cockburn" (Monsanto) link contains only a press release from the European Commission
The "P Dale" link contains the letter from Patricia Elliot
The "Geoff King" file is blank
The "Kate O’Connell" filename is wrongly spelled
The "Ronnie Patterson" filename is wrongly spelled
The "Paul Rylott" (Bayer/Aventis) file is blank
The "Catherine Usher" name is wrongly spelled ("Cathrine")
The "Brian Wynne" filename is wrongly spelled
The presentation of contributions is also poor. In many cases, e-mail messages have been "pasted" into a word processing document, without regard for font or line wrapping.
If you are concerned about the burying of this information, and the way in which the contributions critical of GM crops are being hushed up, contact:
Ian Coates, GM Crops Project Team Leader
Prime Minister's Strategy Unit
Tel: 020 7276 1423
Fax: 020 7276 1407
E-mail:
ian.coates@cabinet-office.x.gsi.gov.uk I suggest you also copy Malcolm Grant (
mjg25@cam.ac.uk), who is Chair of the "GM Public Debate". Thanks & regards
Marcus Williamson
Editor, Genetically Modified Food-News
http://www.gmfoodnews.com/
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