Former CSA: scientific consensus is that GM is safe

The former chief scientific adviser to the president of the European Commission, Professor Anne Glover, has said that the scientific consensus is that GM crops are safe, despite being accused by NGOs of presenting “one-sided, partial opinions” in the debate.

In an interview with the BBC’s Hardtalk programme, Glover said that criticism from environmental groups over her role was unjustified. She also denied reports that she was “sacked”, saying she intended to leave as the role was tied to the previous president of the Commission, José Manuel Barroso. However, she had requested a meeting with Barroso’s successor, Jean-Claude Juncker, but this did not happen.

Defending her position on GM, Glover told the BBC: “I am not a strong advocate of GM crops. What I am saying is that the technology used to generate GM crops is safe – that is what the scientific consensus is.

“Now it is up to individual countries, nations, to decide whether or not they want to use that technology, but to keep on saying that we don’t have enough evidence or that there might be some kind of unforeseen negative consequence of using this technology, that is simply not the case.”

Many scientists have called for the role to continue, saying it is vital to ensure EU policies on important issues are underpinned by scientific evidence.