Sir Richard Roberts is an English biochemist and molecular biologist. A Nobel Laureate, he is the signatory of the 100+ Nobel Laureates letter supporting… GMOs.
He spoke with EurActiv’s Sarantis Michalopoulos.
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How do you explain the fact that so many Europeans reject GMOs? …
Since Europe didn’t need GMOs and in general were suspicious of big agri-business, it became easy for Green parties, notably Greenpeace, to conflate the two issues, which they did.
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It worked and was hugely profitable to Greenpeace both in terms of fundraising and gaining political power. And best of all, there was no real cost to the European consumer.
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The EU claims to rely on scientific evidence for its decision-making. …it also strives for democratic inclusiveness… taking on board the views of a high number of stakeholders. What is the right balance?
…EU politicians support a great deal of scientific research and yet they often don’t pay attention to the results if they are politically unwelcome.
…The issue of balance is a reasonable one, but it does mean that the politicians and their staff need to be more careful about just who they listen to.
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