Brussels, 14/01/2013 (Agence Europe) - All the scientific data on the now famous genetically modified maize NK603 from Monsanto - the subject of the equally famous study by Séralini et al on the long-term toxicity on rats of this GMO and of the total weed-killer Roundup - were made public by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) on its website on Monday 14 January. The data which were used in the risk assessment of NK603 had previously been communicated on several occasions, but uniquely on demand. They can now be examined and used by anyone who wants them as long as Monsanto's intellectual property rights are respected.
It is the public increased interest that convinced EFSA to proceed with this step in transparency on NK603, but the initiative comes as part of a wider programme to facilitate access to data in order to strengthen transparency in risk assessment, EFSA immediately pointed out. This programme, which will be developed in cooperation with EFSA's partners and stakeholders, will examine how, and to what extent, the technical data used in risk assessments could be made more widely available to the broader scientific community and interested parties.
“With the launch of today's initiative that aims to make data used in risk assessment publicly available, EFSA will help scientists from different areas of expertise develop research that can ultimately enrich academic literature and provide valuable new perspectives that can be included in risk assessments. This will make the conclusions of risk assessments even stronger when ensuring public health protection and further build confidence in EFSA's work”, said Catherine Geslain-Lanéelle, EFSA's executive director. This responds to one of the recommendations formulated at the last independent assessment of EFSA's performance - recommendations which advise, in particular, improving transparency in decision-making processes. The opinion published by EFSA's scientific committee on transparency in risk assessment, the publication of the complete list of scientific studies and the previously unpublished data of the exhaustive risk assessment of aspartame during formulation of EFSA's recent draft opinion (see EUROPE 10760,) and the opening to external observers of meetings of EFSA's scientific committee and scientific groups, are part of the measures that have already been taken to improve understanding of EFSA's activities and to increase public confidence. (AN/transl.fl)