“[The law] essentially ends your ability to combat bad ideas put out by public health because you have this looming power that over you that essentially can end your career,” says Jay Bhattacharya.

Many scientists lobbying for the deregulation of agricultural biotechnology ‘new genomic techniques’ (NGTs) in the European Union have either direct or indirect interests in commercialising and marketing new genetically modified organisms (GMOs).

Malone points out that the most effective way to avoid the kinds of policy fiascos the U.S. government finds itself in on a regular basis is to create completely separate problem-solving groups that do not interact with each other.