Glyphosate: EU neglects obvious precautionary duty to ban it, scientists say While the EU hesitates about yet another re-authorisation of glyphosate, the science is quite clear enough for this decision, according to the European Network of Scientists for Social and Environmental Responsibility (ENSSER). The herbicide ingredient can give rise to toxic effects and serious … Read more
Glyphosate: EU pesticide approval system fails to identify full impact, to the detriment of people and the environment EU must respect Precautionary Principle and withdraw glyphosate’s authorisation The European Network of Scientists for Social and Environmental Responsibility (ENSSER) has serious reservations about the position of “no critical areas of concern” adopted by the European … Read more
By Rafael Fonseca Benevenuto, Caroline Bedin Zanatta, Friedrich Waßmann, Michael F. Eckerstorfer & Sarah Zanon Agapito-Tenfen Environmental Sciences Europe volume 35, Article number: 14 (2023) https://enveurope.springeropen.com/articles/10.1186/s12302-023-00715-6 Abstract In Europe, genetically modified organisms (GMOs) are subject to an authorization process including a mandatory risk assessment. According to the respective guidance by the European Food Safety Authority … Read more
by Erik Paul Millstone and Elisabeth Dawson published in Archives of Public Health: https://archpublichealth.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s13690-020-00489-w Abstract On behalf of the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), Kass and Lodi recently published a letter purporting to ‘refute’ our July 2019 analysis of EFSA’s December 2013 assessment of the risks of aspartame. We had previously claimed inter alia that … Read more
A series of three webinars organised by the European Network of Scientists for Social and Environmental Responsibility (ENSSER) Thursdays 17 and 24 September and 1 October 2020 16:00 – 17:30 Central European Summer Time European regulatory systems are often portrayed as some of the best in the world in terms of stringency and precaution … Read more
The article “GMO regulations and their interpretation: how EFSA’s guidance on risk assessments of GMOs is bound to fail” by Angelika Hilbeck, Hartmut Meyer, Brian Wynne & Erik Millstone, published in Environmental Sciences Europe volume 32, Article number: 54 (2020) may be viewed here https://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s12302-020-00325-6 and downloaded here https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1186/s12302-020-00325-6.pdf
By: Juliana Miyazaki, Andreas Bauer-Panskus, Thomas Bøhn, Wolfram Reichenbecher & Christoph Then Published: Environmental Sciences Europe volume 31, Article number: 92 (2019) DOI https://doi.org/10.1186/s12302-019-0274-1 Abstract The introduction of herbicide-tolerant (HT) genetically engineered (GE) soybeans has raised new challenges for the European risk assessment of imported food and feed. Food and feed products derived from … Read more
Decision on a legal challenge of three non-governmental organisations against approval of a soybeans from Monsanto (Bayer) [Media Release in German] 12 September 2019 / Today, the European Court of Justice published the decision on a legal case filed by Testbiotech together with the European Network of Scientists for Social and Environmental Responsibility (ENSSER) and … Read more
A new paper of Erik Millstone et al. has been published in Archives of Public Health. A copy of the paper is attached below, along with copies of two appendices. A dossier of supporting documentation is available. The paper and appendices are available on the Archives of Public Health’s website. The paper dismantles the most recent … Read more
Stage set for new wave of genetically engineered plants to be approved and imported after EU elections Outgoing EU-Commission might approve several controversial applications before handing over 23 May 2019 / More than 40 organisations from science, environmental protection, lobby control, food production and agriculture have today published a joint letter. They warn … Read more
by András Székács and Béla Darvas published in Frontiers of Environmental Science on 31 July 2018 One of the most controversial societal issues today, regarding pesticide registration in the European Union (EU) may be the case surrounding re-registration of the active herbicide ingredient glyphosate. Shortly before the announcement of the conflicting views regarding the … Read more
1. Dezember 2015 Festsaal der Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Luisenstraße 56, 10115 Berlin (Nähe Charité) Die Biodiversität und damit die menschliche Nahrungsgewinnung ist in zunehmendem Maße bedroht. Eingriffe des Menschen in die Natur wie Landschaftsveränderungen und Bodenversiegelung verursachen großenteils den Rückgang der Artenvielfalt. Neonikotinoide, die heimlichen Pestizide, welche mit dem Getreidesamen im Boden verteilt werden, sind … Read more
PR 08/13 End double standards in evaluating GMO safety studies – say scientists Europe’s food safety agency only criticises studies that find risk, new analysis shows ENSSER Press release 17.12.2013 The controversy about the Séralini et al. study, which reported negative health effects of Monsanto’s NK603 GM maize and Roundup herbicide fed to rats over … Read more
Press Release 04/13 – available in English, Deutsch, Française, Castellano, Português – Genetically engineered soybeans in EU Court of Justice: David and Goliath Monsanto, the EFSA, the UK Government and the EU Commission all joining forces against civil society Gentechnik Soja vor EU-Gericht: David gegen Goliath Monsanto, britische Regierung, EFSA und EU-Kommission gemeinsam gegen die … Read more
The Grounds upon which Testbiotech, ENSSER, and Sambucus challenge the Commission’s decision are, in summary: Ground A: EFSA’s assessment that the Soybean is ‘substantially equivalent’ to its appropriate comparators is unlawful, is based on a scientific assessment which was not carried out in accordance with its own guidance, and/or is based on a manifest error … Read more
ENSSER comments “Questionable Biosafety of GMOs, Double Standards and, Once Again, a ‘Shooting-the-Messenger’ Style Debate” available in English, Castellano, and 中文! 05 Oct 2012 – The European Network of Scientists for Social and Environmental Responsibility (ENSSER) welcomes the study “Long term toxicity of a Roundup herbicide and a Roundup-tolerant genetically modified maize” of a group … Read more
PR 02/12 Complaint against EU authorisation of genetically engineered soybeans with stacked genes PR 02/12 Beschwerde gegen EU Zulassung von gentechnisch veränderter Soja mit Kombinationswirkung Joint action of environmental organisations and scientists against decision of the EU Commission Munich/ Brussels, 9 August 2012. Several organisations such as the European Network of Scientists for Social … Read more
30 Sep 2011 – The current “Draft Guidance on the risk assessment of food and feed from genetically modified animals including animal health and welfare aspects published by EFSA on August 10, 2011 is based on risk assessment concepts that do not take into account generally accepted features of risk assessment as undertaking problem formulation, … Read more
31 Mar 2011 – The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) held a consultative workshop in Brussels on 31 March 2011 to discuss the views of stakeholders on its draft guidance for the selection of Genetically Modified (GM) plant comparators. The workshop brought together various interested parties, including representatives from academia, industry, non-governmental organisations (NGOs), the … Read more
PR 01/11 ENSSER and FSC welcome verdict in whistleblower case Gilles-Eric Séralini won libal case against the French Association for Plant Biotechnology read more about the case 18 Jan 2011 – The Citizen Science Foundation (Fondation Sciences Citoyennes, FSC) and the European Network of Scientists for Social and Environmental Responsibility (ENSSER) welcome the verdict of the … Read more
29 Apr 2010 – The European Network of Scientists for Social and Environmental Responsibility (ENSSER) was founded with the aim to advance science and research for the protection of the environment, biological diversity and human health against negative impacts of new technologies and their products. Consequently, ENSSER promotes the critical European and international discourse on … Read more
22 Mar 2010 – The Guidance introduces new principles and concepts for environmental risk assessment of genetically modified plants (GMP ERA), in the first place the principle of the “comparative safety assessment” as a reformulation of the “concept of substantial equivalence”. Further, the Guidance foresees to use the “concept of familiarity” as upstream decision-making instrument … Read more