title: Expert opinion vs. empirical evidence: the precautionary principle applied to GM crops.
abstract: Expert opinion is often sought by government regulatory agencies when there is insufficient empirical evidence to judge the safety implications of a course of action. However, it can be reckless to continue following expert opinion when a preponderance of evidence is amassed that conflicts with this opinion. Factual evidence should always trump opinion in prioritizing the information that is used to guide regulatory policy. Evidence-based medicine has seen a dramatic upturn in recent years spurred by examples where evidence indicated that certain treatments recommended by expert opinions increased death rates. We suggest that scientific evidence should also take priority over expert opinion in the regulation of genetically modified crops (GM). Examples of regulatory data requirements that are not justified based on the mass of evidence are described, and it is suggested that expertise in risk assessment should guide evidence-based regulation of GM crops.
authors.affiliation: Dow AgroSciences LLC; Indianapolis, IN USA.
authors.forename: Rod A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Herman
authors.affiliation: Syngenta; Jealott's Hill International Research Centre; Bracknell, UK.
authors.forename: Alan
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Raybould
mesh_terms: D018556:Crops, Agricultural / Q000235:genetics*; D036262:Empirical Research; D022761:Gene Transfer, Horizontal / Q000235:genetics; D030821:Plants, Genetically Modified / Q000235:genetics*; D018570:Risk Assessment
keywords: evidence-based regulation; expert opinion; government regulation; precautionary principle; risk assessment