GANANOQUE, Ont. -"Food safety and consumer trust are crucial for farmers so we've got to be involved in this case," said Peter Dowling, Coordinator for the National Farmers Union in Ontario. He was explaining why the NFU will intervene in an upcoming court challenge, by two Health Canada scientists, of a gag order barring them from speaking out about what they see as risks to the public.

"Shiv Chopra and Margaret Haydon are highly qualified scientists who take their responsibility for food safety seriously," Dowling said. "The public must be allowed to hear what they have to say on these issues." The two Health Protection Branch employees appeared before the Senate Agriculture Committee last fall and blew the whistle on the potential dangers of a controversial hormone for dairy cattle, known as rBGH, which was finally banned earlier this year.

"Through our years of involvement in the milk hormone issue, the NFU has seen the seamy side of the whole regulatory process," Dowling continued. "The gag order against Chopra and Haydon is part of a larger picture in the Health Protection Branch, where a climate of secrecy prevails and drug company interests take precedence over public safety. Legitimate doubts and disagreements are silenced. If this situation continues, the whole food system will suffer."

"Farmers have a direct interest in ensuring the integrity, transparency, and accountability of Health Canada's food regulatory processes," he said. "The market for the food we produce is heavily dependent on consumer trust in its purity and safety. The precautionary principle, embodied in the Food and Drug Act, is intended to protect that trust and Health Canada must implement that principle."

"When their managers stray from that principle, our government scientists must be allowed to publicly discuss the health and safety implications of the products they review," Dowling said. "The gag order on Chopra and Haydon has to be quashed."

"Moreover, we need strong legislation to protect whistle-blowers in the future. It is not a question of just restoring public confidence. What we need is strong action to restore the integrity of the food regulatory system with independent, publicly-funded research and enforcement. Public confidence will return when that happens," Dowling concluded.

Dowling will appear on a panel in Ottawa this evening at the Annual General Meeting of the Professional Institute of the Public Service, the union that represents the two scientists.

For more information:

• Peter Dowling, NFU Ontario Coordinator (613) 546-0869
  
• Helen Forsey, NFU Ontario Office (613) 479-2453

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