Confidentiality Agreements, Money, Said To Tip Ag Research

Agrochemical research funded by big companies is stacking the deck in favor of some controversial agricultural practices, including the use of a class of pesticides that are said to harm bee colonies and the planting of crops that have been genetically modified to be lethal to certain insects but can have far wider effects, according to sources in a New York Times article. “Scientists deliver outcomes favorable to companies, while university research departments court corporate support. Universities and regulators sacrifice full autonomy by signing confidentiality agreements,” writes Times reporter Danny Hakim. Sources from industry dispute these conclusions, but what’s clear is that for many scientists the close relations among the schools, the agrochemical industry and the regulators create an intractable situation. “You can’t win,” says one researcher. “If you are funded by industry, people are suspicious of your research. If you’re not funded, you’re accused of being a tree-hugging greenie activist.”