Sir, - Dr Dix's letter slating an article by John McKenna simply fails to take any account of the rights of citizens to a cautious approach. Does he realise that genetically engineered soya beans were introduced into his diet after just 10 weeks of feeding trials on animals. or that those trials were conducted by the producers of the beans?
Splitting the atom was a wonderful discovery, hut its premature commercialisation has left later generations with the burden of shutting down Magnox reactors that should never have been built. Many geneticists working in the field of medicine believe that the release of genetically modified organisms carries similar risks, except that there would be no possible way of recalling the organisms in the event of a gene spill. There are scientists on both sides of this debate and almost all of those who oppose genetic engineering are unpaid volunteers.
Dr Dix obviously has no links with Monsanto, whose sugar-beet is engineered to be immune to its own herbicide. Otherwise he would have known that the company is wholly responsible for the trials proposed in Carlow, and are assisted by staff from Teagasc. Most biotechnology research is conducted by companies which have a heavy commercial interest in a successful result. They present their results in whatever format suits their interests best, occasionally ignoring normal statistical procedures to get the desired result.
The High Court last week granted one of our members leave to seek a judicial review of the EPA's decision on trials in Carlow. While we would not dare to pre-judge the outcome of such a case, it does mean that the judge thought there was a case to be heard. Dr Dix doesn't seem to agree.
We welcome Dr Dix's letter as we did John McKenna's feature. What we need is full public debate and consensus. What we have had so far is a refusal to allow debate in the Dail, planting trial approvals that nobody knew about, and genetically engineered ingredients appearing, unheralded, in our food. Is it any wonder the public in general and John McKenna in particular are worried? Yours, etc.,
Spokesperson,
Genetic Concern,
Kylemore Industrial Estate, Dublin 10.