[escepticos] Transgénicos: cal, arena y acertijo

[Josep Català Medina <tecpress@...>]

Mal asunto cuando la política profesional se mete en terreno científico.
Un nuevo ejemplo, esta vez referido a las semillas transgénicas.

Recordareis que, recientemente, informaba de que el ministerio de
Agricultura alemán, y a la vista de los informes científico-técnicos,
había decidido levantar la prohibición de siembra que, como medida
precautoria, pesaba sobre un maíz transgénico. Pues bien: otro ministerio,
el de Sanidad, pidió a los técnicos oficiales (ZKBS) el dictamen. Este
era positivo; pero a pesar de la opinión de sus propios expertos,
el ministerio de Sanidad ha denegado los permisos para la siembra. Vivir
para ver.... Adjunto la "Nota de prensa (cabreada)" del ZKBS.

> Federal Ministry of Health (BMG) ignores the scientific expertise of its own
> experts
>
> Berlin.- With a lack of understanding and great personal consternation the
> members of the ZKBS (The Central Committee for Biological Safety) learned
> through the media that the Federal Ministry of Health had issued a directive
> upon the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) removing the permit for the planting of
> gene engineered Bt-Corn Event 176 (Novartis) within Germany just four weeks
> before plantings were about to begin. A short while ago the government allowed -
> again - the planting of small areas (500 ha per year) of this variety of corn.
> The ZKBS is a Committee of independent scientists called into existence by the
> government to evaluate, in accordance with the gene technology laws, the safety
> of different products and thereby to consult the federal and state governments
> in questions regarding genetic engineering. The members of the ZKBS feel they
> have been bypassed and ignored through the government's actions. For the first
> time in its existence the recommendation of the ZKBS as to the biological safety
> of a genetically engineered plant has been ignored by the BMG without
> consultation - and the decision of the BMG was in no way based upon the
> recommendations of the ZKBS.
> The members of the ZKBS see no scientific basis for the decision of the BMG,
> which was based upon improperly planned laboratory trials and an unscientific
> and faulty expert opinion of the Öko-Institut e.V. (Institute for Ecology,
> Freiburg). These data were used as the basis for the BMG's decision to remove
> the permit for genetically engineered corn from Novartis and only to allow
> limited planting for research purposes. The ZKBS had already come to the
> conclusion - during its 1997 deliberations as to the permission of large scale
> plantings of this corn - that the permission of large scale plantings of
> Novartis Bt-corn, unlimited both in scale and time frame of the plantings, would
> have no deleterious effects upon the life and health of humans, animals, other
> plants and the environment either through its method of action or its own
> constitution.
> The members of the ZKBS can not therefore understand why the Ministry of Health
> (BMG), although it has been in possession of the ZKBS conclusions since 1997,
> was able to issue a directive based upon safety considerations, and why the BMG
> has only recently (March 2000) seen a need for new discussions on this subject.
> The members of the ZKBS will not accept the reports from the Ministry of Health
> (BMG) that the decision of the BMG is supported through scientific consultation
> with the ZKBS. Furthermore the ZKBS sees the decision of the BMG with respect to
> both the directive and then the permission of small area plantings, as counter
> to the position and opinion of the ZKBS. The mode of action of the BMG has
> forced the ZKBS to inform the European Commission and the responsible technical
> committee of their scientific position and the circumstances of the case. The
> ZKBS hopes for a correct and proper decision.

Otrosí, y va de acertijo:

---"Kellog's" ha decidido utilizar cereales transgénicos para sus preparados,
a pesar de las acciones en su contra (concretamente contra su mascota, el
tigre Tony) por parte de Greenpeace.

---"McDonald's" y "Burger King" han dicho "no" a utilizar patatas transgénicas,
pero no han indicado si los aceites para freirlas procederán o no de semillas
transgénicas. Tampoco han dicho nada de si la carne que usan para sus
hamburguesas proceden de reses que han comido, por ejemplo, soja
transgénica.

---"Coca Cola" ha dicho que utilizará azúcares procedentes de maíz transgénico.

---"Pepsi Cola" también; pero su subsidiaria "Frito-Lay" ya ha indicado que para
sus productos tipo "doritos" no va a emplear maíz transgénico.

Un follón, vamos; pero en cada caso existe una cierta lógica política o
científica....
¿Alguien tiene tiempo para estudiarlos y dar con las "soluciones"?
(Del "concurso" sólo queda excluido Miguel Calvo, porque no se trata de resolver
el "misterio" en sólo 1 minuto, que le conozco..... ;-)

Saludos sin modificar.

Josep Català