“This is my issue with GM that is rarely acknowledged by the shrill supporters of it. The precautionary principle is a perfectly valid and widely accepted framework for public policy which implies that when a new technology is introduced with insufficient evidence about the risks to the public good, the burden of proof is on the supporters of the new technology to demonstrate that it is safe. I would say that the environment is clearly a part of the public good. While I’d say it’s clear there is no serious human health risk of the use of GMs, the ecological risks are so far poorly understood. There’s no reason to be conducting huge uncontained live experiments on the natural world at large unless we absolutely have to.”