GM Watch
  • Main Menu
    • Home
    • News
      • Latest News
      • Newsletter subscription
      • Daily Digest
      • News Reviews
      • News Languages
    • Articles
      • GM Myth Makers
      • GM Reports
      • GM Quotes
      • GM Myths
      • Non-GM successes
      • GM Firms
        • Monsanto: a history
        • Monsanto: resources
        • Bayer: a history
        • Bayer: resources
    • Videos
      • Latest Videos
      • Must see videos
      • Cornell videos
      • Agriculture videos
      • Labeling videos
      • Animals videos
      • Corporations videos
      • Corporate takeover videos
      • Contamination videos
      • Latin America videos
      • India videos
      • Asia videos
      • Food safety videos
      • Songs videos
      • Protests videos
      • Biofuel myths videos
      • Index of GM crops and foods
      • Index of speakers
    • Contact
    • About
    • Links
    • Donations
    • How donations will help us
News and comment on genetically modified foods and their associated pesticides    
  • News
    • Latest News
    • Newsletter subscription
    • Archive
      • 2018 articles
      • 2015 articles
      • 2017 articles
      • 2016 articles
      • 2014 articles
      • 2013 articles
      • 2012 articles
      • 2011 articles
      • 2010 articles
      • 2009 articles
      • 2008 articles
      • 2007 articles
      • 2006 articles
      • 2005 articles
      • 2004 articles
      • 2003 articles
      • 2002 articles
      • 2001 articles
      • 2000 articles
    • Daily Digest
    • News Reviews
    • News Languages
      • Notícias em Português
      • Nieuws in het Nederlands
      • Nachrichten in Deutsch
  • Articles
    • GM Myth Makers
    • GM Reports
    • How donations will help us
    • GM Quotes
    • GM Myths
    • Non-GM successes
    • GM Firms
      • Monsanto: a history
      • Monsanto: resources
      • Bayer: a history
      • Bayer: resources
  • Videos
    • Latest Videos
    • Must see videos
    • Cornell videos
    • Agriculture videos
    • Labeling videos
    • Animals videos
    • Corporations videos
    • Corporate takeover videos
    • Contamination videos
    • Latin America videos
    • India videos
    • Asia videos
    • Food safety videos
    • Songs videos
    • Protests videos
    • Biofuel myths videos
    • Index of GM crops and foods
    • Index of speakers
    • Glyphosate Videos
  • Contact
  • About
  • Links
  • Donations
SUBSCRIBE TO REVIEWS

GMO INFO

10 Questions About GM Foods
Do GMOs increase yields and reduce pesticide use, and are they needed to feed the world? Find out in the 16-page document, 10 Questions About GM Foods.

News Menu

  • Latest News
  • News Reviews
  • Archive
  • Languages

News Archive

  • 2018 articles
  • 2017 articles
  • 2016 articles
  • 2015 articles
  • 2014 articles
  • 2013 articles
  • 2012 articles
  • 2011 articles
  • 2010 articles
  • 2009 articles
  • 2008 articles
  • 2007 articles
  • 2006 articles
  • 2005 articles
  • 2004 articles
  • 2003 articles
  • 2002 articles
  • 2001 articles
  • 2000 articles

Please support GMWatch

Donations

You can donate via Paypal or credit/debit card.

Some of you have opted to give a regular donation. This is greatly appreciated as it helps place us on a more stable financial basis. Thank you for your support!

2012 articles

Stop wasting taxpayers' R&D on PR for GM crops

  • Print
  • Email
Details
Published: 07 July 2013
Created: 23 November 2012
Last Updated: 23 November 2012
Twitter

Taxpayers' R&D spend needs more accountability: stop wasting it on PR for GM crops
GeneWatch UK, 23 November 2012
 http://www.genewatch.org/article.shtml?als[cid]=531148&als[itemid]=571537

In its submission to a Government consultation on agricultural research and technology today, GeneWatch UK argues that decisions on what research to fund should be more open and accountable (1). GeneWatch also highlights that lobbying by the Agricultural Biotechnology Council, which represents the major GM crop companies, has led to an agreement in which taxpayer-funded researchers promote the industry's agenda to try to encourage more rapid approval of the companies' GM crops in the EU (2). As a result, UK taxpayer-funded research institutions are acting as the PR wing of the large multinational companies which market GM seeds. They are paid not to produce anything useful but to go on the media and claim that they will produce something useful using GM at some point in the future: and that therefore GM regulations must be weakened and retailers must put GM foods back on their shelves.

"Agricultural research is critical to tackling many problems that we face in Britain and around the world" said GeneWatch UK's Director, Dr Helen Wallace, "These decisions are too important to be made in dodgy deals behind closed doors. Taxpayers' money should not be wasted on unfulfilled promises and hype about GM, rather than accepting reality and funding things that work. We need research that helps farmers and consumers and provides genuine solutions to problems with our food supply, environment and diets."

GeneWatch's response to the BIS consultation warns against misallocating resources to unrealistic GM projects and highlights the opportunity costs associated with investing taxpayers' money in research that is unlikely to deliver on its promises.

The agricultural industry has made its own submission to the consultation and is inviting comments on it (3). The industry has held workshops with producers to help inform its proposed research priorities but has not included the wider public who fund most of the research.

For further information contact:
Dr Helen Wallace: 01298-24300 (office); 07903-311584 (mobile) 

Notes for Editors:
(1) GeneWatch UK response to the BIS Consultation, Shaping a UK Strategy for Agri-Tech, November 2012.  http://www.genewatch.org/uploads/f03c6d66a9b354535738483c1c3d49e4/BISconsul_GWresponse.pdf

(2) GeneWatch UK and GM Freeze Press Release: Monsanto meets ministers to push return of GM crops to Britain. Thursday 25th October 2012.  http://www.genewatch.org/article.shtml?als[cid]=569457&als[itemid]=571449

(3)  http://www.feedthefuture.gov/

  • Prev
  • Next

Menu

Home

News

News Archive

News Reviews

Videos

Articles

GM Myth Makers

GM Reports

GM Myths

GM Quotes

How Donations Will Help Us

Contacts

Contact Us

About

Facebook

Twitter

RSS

Content 1999 - 2018 GMWatch.
Web Development By SCS Web Design