The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA)'s reputation might be damaged after one of its leading staff members has quit to work for the organization to join the Swiss company Syngenta, one of the world's leading producers of genetically engineered plants.

Suzy Renckens, scientific coordinator of the GMO panel through 2002-2007, now holds a position there as Head of Biotech Regulatory Affairs for Europe, Africa and the Middle East. At the EFSA she headed the GMO panel responsible for developing guidance documents and the risk assessment of genetically engineered plants.

EFSA has been criticised for being too close to the interests of industry. According to the executive director of the German expert group Testbiotech,Christoph Then, whose mission is monitoring EFSA’s activities, “this move to industry poses a considerable problem for the EFSA. It has become apparent that even staff members in leading positions are unable to distance themselves from industry. It also begs the question of why the EFSA does not make information on such unusual steps public. There is absolutely no transparency at all in the circumstances surrounding the direct move by Mrs Renckens from the EFSA to industry.”

The EFSA declined to make any detailed comments on this case. After Testbiotech became aware of Renckens' move it filed a questionnaire directly to the EFSA. The EFSA stated that it is unable to provide information related to individual staff members.

According to EU staff regulations, all moves must be approved when EU employees take up a new position where there may be a possible conflict of interests with EU authorities.
EU regulations further state that a move without approval is possible only after two years. In Mrs Renckens' case the maximum period of time between her engagement with the EFSA and her position at Syngenta is one year.

Testbiotech believes that the circumstances of this move should be made transparent.