Description

Brian Wynne has resigned from the Steering Group of the Food Standards Agency's planned public dialogue process on the use of genetically modified crops and food.

He had been vice-chair of the Steering Group appointed by the FSA in November 2009 to run the public dialogue, 'Food: the use of GM'. His letter of resignation argued that the FSA's institutional culture had a deeply ingrained pro-GM attitude, and the public dialogue was turning into a propoganda exercise to convince the British public to accept GM in food.

In a press release, Professor Wynne said: "Despite the best efforts of Steering Group members, this public dialogue is more likely to increase public alienation and mistrust than to increase public confidence about policy decision-making in the area of food and agriculture. The FSA appears not to understand the socio-political as well as scientific fabric of such issues, and is thus unable to recognise its own social and political biases and confusions when doing what it calls public dialogue, and yet misrepresenting itself as following only 'sound science'".

Press coverage:

• BBC News
• BBC Radio 4, Today Programme
• Daily Telegraph
• The Guardian