the following is a provocation for CSIRO to answer some questions about money and power. At the centre of my case is an expensive transgenic pea and its spectacular reversal of fortune. Eight years ago, the pea was doomed to “never be seen on the planet again”. The world was told the pea’s DNA would be destroyed. But in a backflip from its 2005 decision to abandon its GM field-pea, CSIRO is now reviving the pea’s reputation. It is now casting doubt on the studies that suggested the pea is unsafe for consumption. [...] But it has now come to light that not all peas were destroyed. They were exiled to Europe, where Higgins, CSIRO and other scientists sought millions of euros for further overseas research.