Invitation to join us

Organisms carrying novel genes inserted using recombinant DNA techniques have existed
since the early 1970s. The first GM plants were produced in 1983. Environmental releases
of products from GM technology, including the commercial release of insulin from GM microbes,
date back to the late 1970s. Open field trials, under strict regulatory scrutiny, with GM plants
started in the mid-1980s, quickly growing into the hundreds by the end of that decade.
Today, thousands of environmental releases of hundreds of different GMOs in dozens of
countries provide a substantial source of valid scientific data with which to properly and critically
evaluate the real, as opposed to perceived, environmental and health safety risks associated
with GMOs.

There are indeed hazards associated with GMOs. Our goal is learn about the true hazards, the
magnitude of the risks and various means to manage the hazards. We seek scientifically valid
data from lab, glasshouse and field trials, all designed to address the various concerns,
whether those concerns are scientifically legitimate or not.

If you share our interest in discerning and discussing the scientifically legitimate risks posed
by genetically modified plants, animals and microbes, as the President, I invite you to join the ISBR.