ABSTRACT
In this chapter I consider the difficulties which have arisen in the past in communicating uncertainty with particular reference to the experience of bovine spongiform encephalopathy(BSE). I argue that my experience as a regulator demonstrates that the public is well able to cope with uncertainties if properly explained and put in context. I am, however, highly critical of the European Food Safety Authority’s intended approach to the handling of uncertainty on the grounds that it will result in overqualified opinions, reduce rather than enhance public understanding, and materially assist only commentators who wish to dispute scientific opinions in an unobjective way.
