The NFU have criticised the decision by the European Commission to scrap the post of Chief Scientific Advisor to the President.
Professor Anne Glover, who has been in post since 2012, confirmed yesterday she would be leaving the post at the end of January and that the position would then cease to exist.
Glover had angered many green groups for her open support for genetically modified crops.
NFU President Meurig Raymond said: “We warmly welcomed the appointment of Professor Glover as we firmly believe that strong and independent science should be at the centre of policymaking in the EU.
“It is deeply troubling that the new European Commission has taken this decision. This appears to be a backward step for science. At a time when we need to address serious concerns around food security, energy security and the collective EU response to the threat of climate change; it is deeply concerning that the voice of science should be stifled.
“We would like to put on public record our sincere thanks to Professor Glover for her work. Professor Glover has championed the importance of science and innovation to drive growth in the EU. We now urgently seek assurances from the Commission as to how the role that she and her office played will be continued.”
In September last year, Glover dismissed opposition to GM crops as 'a form of madness', when she addressed a conference of leading European soil scientists in Aberdeen.
"No other foodstuff has been so thoroughly investigated as GM,” she said.
“No scientist will ever say something is 100 per cent safe but I am 99.99 per cent certain from the scientific evidence that there are no health issues with food produced from GM crops. Just about every scientist I know supports this view. Opposition to GM, and the benefits it can bring, is a form of madness I don’t understand"
“Part of the problem is public perception and the fact that the small minority of scientists who speak out against GM get the same credence in the media as the vast majority of scientists who support GM,” said Glover.
“Consumers should at least have the choice and those who have other reasons for opposing GM can continue to do so.
“But don’t put it down to science.”
Green groups had written to the President of European Commission, Jean-Claude Juncker. In the letter, they said: "The post of Chief Scientific Adviser is fundamentally problematic as it concentrates too much influence in one person, and undermines in-depth scientific research and assessments carried out by or for the Commission directorates in the course of policy elaboration.
"Until now, the role of Chief Scientific Adviser has been unaccountable, intransparent and controversial. While the current CSA and her opinions were very present in the media, the nature of her advice to the President of the European Commission remains unknown. We have not been able to obtain any information on what the Commission President has requested advice on, let alone what advice has been given.
"We hope that you as the incoming Commission President will decide not to nominate a chief scientific adviser and that instead the Commission will take its advice from a variety of independent, multi-disciplinary sources, with a focus on the public interest. We remain at your disposal if you wish to receive more detailed explanations of our concerns."
Nick von Westenholz, CEO of the Crop Protection Association, said: “The removal of the post of Chief Scientific Adviser is a backward step, and troubling at a time when scientific endeavour should have a more important role than ever in tackling many European policy issues; not least in response to the food security challenge.
“The food and agriculture industry has long been calling for scientific evidence and research to play a stronger part in policy decisions, and for the role of chief scientists in decision-making to be increased. It is our belief that regulation should be risk-based and that the precautionary principle and its relationship to assessing risk should be reviewed. Indeed, through our Healthy Harvest campaign we are calling for scientific advice to be more embedded and formalised across EU institutions and policy making.
“The removal of the Chief Scientific Adviser role sends a clear message that scientific advice is not taken seriously at the highest levels in Europe, which is concerning.
“We urge President Juncker to clarify his future plans for the role of scientific advice in future policy-making and to ensure that sound science plays a higher role in future regulation.”
David Caffall, Chief Executive of AIC: “We have consistently argued that policies and regulations, should be based on hard evidence capable of scientific scrutiny.”
“Two years ago we were delighted to see Professor Anne Glover appointed as the Commission’s Chief Scientific Officer as part of the previous President of the Commission, Manuel Barroso’s commitment to put science-based decision-making at the heart of Europe’s drive for innovation and economic growth
“We now await to see what the new Commission President Jean Claude Juncker proposes in place of scrapping this valuable position. Scientific advance and technical revolution have so much to offer in meeting the challenges of feeding a growing world as well as benefits to many other industries which is why we will continue to call for scientific input at the heart of Europe’s decision making.”
