On the contrary, the scientists request that Minister Aiger makes scientific knowledge the basis of political decisions and the education of the population. Below is the English translation of the original German letter.....if inclined please sign it below and your name will be added to the already 1,600+ scientists who have signed it. The signatures will soon be presented to Minister Aigner.
Dear Federal Minister Aigner,
It is unfortunately not new, that politicians completely ignore the results of extensive field research, which is supported by the German government. It is therefore not surprising that the public still believes that the possible negative impact of the cultivation of genetically modified plants are still unknown. Instead of countering these unfounded opinions with solid facts, it seems that CSU politicians are now strangely/oddly arguing that the research activities on GM safety are too risky. This is the unanimous opinion of the specialists of genetic engineering, united in the WGG.
We scientists criticize the politicians as that the many opportunities to educate the public concerning the green genetic engineering have not been taken up actively. It is clear, that the facts related to safety have not changed and to our knowledge, genetically engineered crops do not pose a greater risk than conventional ones. Still, many politicians prefer to come out with vague and sometimes populist statements in order to encourage the fears and cause doubts. Doubts must be addressed, but they should not be magnified on the basis of unconfirmed arguments and it is important on the contrary to give factual clarifications.
Still one year ago, the former Minister of Agriculture Seehofer (also CSU) spoke very positively about the high quality of the German GM biosafety legislation which should actually encourage GM safety research in Germany. But we also ask, what does it help to have a solid legislation, if it is not supported by the politicians themselves ? And what are even the most solid scientific data good for, when it is blatantly ignored, if it doesn't fit in the political picture?
We sincerely urge you not to sacrifice a technology with great potential for shortsighted political posturing. Please make sure that you start a dialogue with the experts in their relevant research areas and make use of their scientific knowhow both for your political decisions and to allow for the fact based education of the population
Yours sincerely,
(upon submission you will be brought to an article by a young German research)
