A leaked government document shows that ministers intend to promote the benefits of genetically-modified (GM) food and genetic engineering to the public. The draft White Paper on science and innovation, obtained by the Sunday Telegraph, is due to be published this summer. It says that more needs to be done to reassure people about so-called 'Frankenstein food' and other scientific breakthroughs.
The document argues that public anxiety about new science is 'nothing new', and compares worries about GM foods to the violent protests which met the introduction of the cowpox vaccine to prevent smallpox in 1799. It concludes: 'In a period of rapid change in which we live, there is a great need for scientists and the public to debate more openly the destinations of science and move forward with a shared understanding of those benefits that only science can bring'.
The paper also outlines a new code of practice covering the hundreds of scientists advising the government, requiring appointments to advisory committees to be 'open and transparent'. Ministers have also decided to strengthen the role of the Government's Chief Scientific Advisor, Sir Robert May, giving him the power to recommend disciplinary action if the new code is broken.
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Ministers to promote genetic engineering
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