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IMMEDIATE RELEASE 17 December 2007
Chief Scientist's misleading GM claims:
GM Freeze calls for a public apology
GM Freeze has written to retiring Government Chief Scientist Professor David
King calling upon him to make a public apology after making a “grossly
misleading” comments comment about GM crops on the BBC’s Today Programme on
27th November [1]
Professor King finished the interview with the following:
“I wonder if I could give you one example and this is the use of intercrop
planting in Africa which has increased grain yields already around Lake
Victoria very substantially. And this is done by discovering what the
pheromone in the root of the grain plant that attracts root borers and
destroys them. And if you snip that gene into the grass so that the grass
attracts root borers , the root borers does not feed well on the grass and
dies. You interplant the grass with the grain and it turns out the crop yield
goes up 40-50%. Very big advantage.”
GM Freeze have pointed out to Professor King that the “push pull” project [2]
he described does not involve GM crops at all.
In an article in the Independent on Sunday (16th December) [3], Professor King
is quoted as saying his comments were “an honest mistake”,
In the their letter to Professor King [4] GM Freeze point out that the Push
Pull project is an excellent example of how scientists have found solutions to
a major weed and a significant pest of maize in Kenya without the use of
pesticides or GM crops.
Commenting Pete Riley of GM Freeze said:
“We find it quite staggering that Professor King made such misleading comments
on prime time radio. The “push pull” project in fact illustrates how the
problem pest and weeds, which plague farmers in the Global South can be
tackled by well researched crop management techniques. These have the
advantage of being cheap to apply and being free of the potential
environmental and health impacts of GM crops or pesticide usage. If Africa is
to become more self reliant in food supply without locking farmer into very
expensive GM seeds and their associated herbicides then the Government need to
be funding more projects like “push pull”. In view of the grossly misleading
nature of what he said we call upon Professor King to make a public apology”.
ENDS
Calls to Pete Riley 07903 341065
1.Interview with Sarah Montague 27th November 2007 BBC Today Programme.
2, www.rothamsted.ac.uk/bch/CEGroup/ChemEcolGroupArea6.html and www.push-pull.net/
3. http://news.independent.co.uk/sci_tech/article3255701.ece
4 Letter available on request to pete@gmfreeze.org
Last updated 17/12/2007
© GM FREEZE
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> Chief Scientist's Misleading GM Claims: GM Freeze calls for a public apology
17/12/2007 |
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