[Biotechnology, especially genetic modification, and legislation].
Biotechnology and genetic modification (GM) related legislation is not yet fully developed in the European Union (EU). New legislation has been recently issued ('Introduction of GMO's in the environment') and recently proposals from the European Commission ('GMO's in food and feed' and 'Traceability and labelling of GMO's') entered the decision-making process in the end of 2001. The proposals for the establishment of the European Food Authority play a role in this respect. GMO legislation is complex not in the least because of the demands for the dossiers, to be submitted with an application, while these procedures for admission must become more transparent. In this paper the relevant legislation will be discussed with the exception of that related to human health. Because of dissatisfaction with the present legislation, the European Commission in the past years granted no new approvals for introductions on the market of GMO's and for GM novel foods. New legislation should suspend the present de-facto moratorium. The tasks and position of the Inspectorate for the Health Protection and Veterinary Public Health is discussed. A provision has been made in the legislation with respect to adventitious or technically unavoidable contamination of raw materials with GMO's up to a maximum of 1%, of which the enforcement is not yet watertight. The analytical methods are being still developed.
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D000821:Animal Feed; D000827:Animal Welfare / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D000818:Animals; D001709:Biotechnology / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence* / Q000592:standards; D003257:Consumer Product Safety / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D005062:European Union; D005524:Food Technology; D005818:Genetic Engineering / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence* / Q000592:standards; D006801:Humans; D007881:Legislation, Food; D007886:Legislation, Veterinary; D009426:Netherlands; D030781:Organisms, Genetically Modified; D011786:Quality Control
Biotechnologie, met name genetische modificatie, en de wetgeving.