title: Risk, regulation and biotechnology: the case of GM crops.
abstract: The global regulation of products of biotechnology is increasingly divided. Regulatory decisions for genetically modified (GM) crops in North America are predictable and efficient, with numerous countries in Latin and South America, Australia and Asia following this lead. While it might have been possible to argue that Europe's regulations were at one time based on real concerns about minimizing risks and ensuring health and safety, it is increasingly apparent that the entire European Union (EU) regulatory system for GM crops and foods is now driven by political agendas. Countries within the EU are at odds with each other as some have commercial production of GM crops, while others refuse to even develop regulations that could provide for the commercial release of GM crops. This divide in regulatory decision-making is affecting international grain trade, creating challenges for feeding an increasing global population.
authors.affiliation: a Department of Bioresource Policy, Business and Economics ; University of Saskatchewan ; Saskatoon , SK Canada.
authors.forename: Stuart J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Smyth
authors.forename: Peter W B
authors.initials: PW
authors.lastname: Phillips
mesh_terms: D001709:Biotechnology / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D018556:Crops, Agricultural; D030821:Plants, Genetically Modified
keywords: BSE, bovine spongiform encephalopathy; CPB, Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety; EFSA, European Food Safety Authority; EU, European Union; FAO, Food and Agriculture Organization; GM crops; GM, genetically modified; GMOs, genetically modified organisms; LLP, low level presence; RAF, risk analysis framework; USDA, United States Department of Agriculture; WTO, World Trade Organization; eNGOs, environmental non-governmental organizations; food security; politicization of risk; risk assessment; science-based regulation