University may treat Fonterra like a munitions manufacturer

The Herald reports:

Research funding from the dairying and soft drink industries could be declined on ethical grounds under proposals being worked through by the University of Canterbury.

The university is in the midst of a wide-ranging debate about ethical research funding – who academics should and shouldn’t accept money from, and for what research purpose.

Currently, research funding from the tobacco and armaments industries could be declined.

Some academics have argued that should extend to certain industry-funded alcohol, gambling, dairying, mining and soft drink research.

How dare industries fund research that may disagree with their own research. It must be banned.

The test of research should be does it stand up to scrutiny, and can it be published in a peer reviewed publication? But instead some academics think that anything to do with industry is evil – so they are proposing to treat Fonterra the same as an munitions manufacturer.

I don’t think there should be any limitations on who can fund research – the only limitations should be on its quality and independence.