a wide range of opinion continues to exist on whether genetically modified (gm) crops pose a significant risk to human health. But there is a growing consensus on one important aspect of the debate: greater public investment is needed in the research used to justify claims that such crops are safe, in order to protect and guarantee the independence and integrity of this research from commercial influence.

This was, for example, one of the main themes that emerged from an international conference in Bangkok last month on the risks of gm crops. Several speakers at the conference, organised jointly by British government and the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (oecd), warned that such crops would only be accepted by the public if the arguments about their safety were based on a trustworthy scientific assessment.

For example, Pamela Chan, the Hong-Kong based president of Consumers International, told the conference that consumers had heard many re-assurances from industry-based scientists saying that the technology was safe. "But a challenging new technology of this type must be approached under the precautionary principle,' she said.

"The benign picture presented by its promoters must be supported by published, independent scientific data. It is therefore imperative that public funds and independent funding be made available to support research projects which focus on