Announcement from the Board of Directors

11.05.2005

The Board of Directors, Norwegian Institute of Gene Ecology has been informed of the exchange following professor Terje Traavik’s oral presentation in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on February 22, 2004.

The Board of Directors, Norwegian Institute of Gene Ecology has been informed of the exchange following professor Terje Traavik’s oral presentation in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on February 22, 2004. According to our information professor Traavik – on the basis of his preliminary investigations – discussed the following question: How much scientific evidence is needed before a measure of caution is warranted in practical applications?

It is most valuable that the international community – in this case represented by:

Dr. Rick Roush, University of California, Davis
Professor Charles Arntzen, Arizona State University
Professor Bruce Chassy, University of Illinois
Professor James DeGregori, University of Colorado Health Sciences Center Professor
Thomas R. DeGregori, University of Houston
Dr. Judith A. Kjelstrom, University of California, Davis
Dr. Peggy G. Lemaux, University of California, Berkeley
Professor Martina McGloughlin, University of California,
Davis Dr. Alan McHughen, University of California, Riverside Professor
Wayne Parrott, University of Georgia Professor
C. S. Prakash, Tuskegee University
Dr. Chris Preston, University of Adelaide
Professor Tony Shelton, Cornell University Professor
Steve Taylor, University of Nebraska

- feels committed to address these questions, as well as the validity of the scientific basis that such considerations have to be based on upon.

We like to express our confidence in professor Traavik’s integrity as a scientist, and look forward to further discussions when the experiments and observations alluded to in his talk – have been completed. It has clearly not been professor Terje’s intention – on the basis of his preliminary findings – to claim that there are health or environmental hazards in this direction, is neither in line with the position of professor Traavik nor our Board of Directors.


The Board of Directors