Helen Wallace resigns from FSA's steering group on GM

27 May 2010

In response to Dr Helen Wallace's resignation from the Steering Group for the Food Standards Agency’s GM dialogue, Peter Melchett, Soil Association Policy Director, has called on Lord Rooker, the Chair of the FSA, to stop wasting public money trying to promote the old government's and Tony Blair's obsession with getting the British public to like GM food. 

Peter Melchett's letter to Lord Rooker follows:

The Rt Hon Lord Rooker,
Chair, Food Standards Agency,
Aviation House,
125 Kingsway,
London, WC2B 6NH

Dear Jeff

I have just heard that Dr Helen Wallace,  the key representative of those who are sceptical about GM Farming and Food, has resigned from the Food Standards Agency (FSA) committee that has been managing your public engagement process. 

I know that you and your colleagues at the FSA have used the fact that Dr Wallace was a member of this group to defend the legitimacy and even the neutrality of the process that your agency is conducting.  That legitimacy has clearly gone, and the process can no longer be considered by anyone to be impartial.

I am writing to urge you to wrap this process up.  I think most people could never understand why the last government asked the FSA to carry out what many of us believed was intended to be a pro-GM propaganda exercise, pursuing one of Tony Blair's obsessions, and costing a large amount of public money.  Given Dr Wallace's resignation, and the current economic climate, it would be unthinkable for the agency to continue to waste public money on this exercise. 

I know that you agree that it is not your agency's job to try and flog some new food technology to the public, and I know you want the agency to focus on its key role of ensuring food that the British public eat is safe and wholesome.

I look forward to hearing that you will be ending the GM consultation, in the interests of saving some public money, if for no other reason.

Best wishes,

Peter

Peter Melchett,
Policy Director

The Soil Association
South Plaza, Marlborough Street,
Bristol. BS1 3NX

Dr Wallace’s resignation letter is available in full on: http://www.genewatch.org/uploads/f03c6d66a9b354535738483c1c3d49e4/resignation.doc

GeneWatch PR: FSA set to waste over half a million pounds on PR exercise for GM industry:
http://www.genewatch.org/article.shtml?als[cid]=492860&als[itemid]=566336