Subject:      Canada keep info on bees a secret
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edited

WHAT'S THE BUZZ?:
A LEADING BEE SCIENTIST GETS A GOVERNMENT RUNAROUND
November 15, 2000
Canadian Business, pg.128
Andrew Nikiforuk

At a recent bee conference, Mark Winston, one of Canada's preeminent
biologists and a professor at Simon Fraser University, was cited as asking
a fellow from the Canadian Food Inspection Agency  if genetically
engineered crops could harm bees.

The story says that Winston, one of the world's top bee experts, wanted to
know if any research had been done on pollen from engineered crops, such as
canola, and what effects engineered proteins might have on the insect's
behavior and survival. The CFIA spokesman confidently replied that pollen
from genetically modified organisms (GMOs) didn't harm bees. OK. But being
a good scientist, Winston wanted some data. So he sent an e-mail to CFIA
and asked the man to substantiate his claims with sound scientific
research, a normal ho-hum request in the world of science.

The story says Winston knew something was wrong when his questions got
bumped to a higher authority. He finally got some answers--but not the ones
he expected. Yes, there had been some tests on bees, but CFIA couldn't tell
Winston what GM crops were tested. That was ``proprietary information.''

Nor could it disclose the source of the study, experimental protocols or
even the results. According to Winston, one CFIA gatekeeper was quoted as
declaring, "Secrecy is business as usual as far as we're concerned.''

The story says that Winston favors informed and balanced debate on
technologies that could arguably work wonders as well as foster great
calamities. But vigorous debate can't take place in the absence of basic
information. And Winston finds CFIA's reluctance to answer legitimate
scientific questions about health and safety alarming, stating, "If we
don't have access to objectively collected data on issues of critical
importance to all Canadians, how can we decide what is safe and what
isn't?''

Winston, who is now writing a book on the murky world of genetically
engineered organisms, also can't figure out why CFIA would choose to
declare data on the number of bees harmed by GM canola pollen a top
government secret.

The story goes on to say that Winston has given up waiting for the
government to answer his basic bee questions and has started a research
program of his own, adding, "It's really bad when your government has some
data and you can't see it. That's just a really sad comment on the state of
our regulatory authorities.''

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Robt Mann
consultant ecologist
P O Box 28878   Remuera, Auckland 1005, New Zealand
                (9) 524 2949