"Frontmatter". In: Plant Genomics and Proteomics
Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity adopted a sup-
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Christopher A. Cullis - Plant Genomics and Proteomics-J. Wiley & Sons (2004)
The Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity adopted a sup-
plementary agreement to the Convention known as the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety on 29 January 2000. The Protocol seeks to protect biological diversity from the potential risks posed by living modified organisms resulting from modern biotechnology. It estab- lishes an advance informed agreement (AIA) procedure for ensuring that countries are provided with the information necessary to make informed decisions before agreeing to the import of such organisms into their territory. The Protocol contains reference to a precautionary approach and reaffirms the precaution language in Principle 15 of the Rio Declaration on Environment and Development. The Protocol also establishes a Biosafety Clearing-House to facilitate the exchange of information on living modified organisms and to assist countries in the implementation of the Protocol Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety http://www.biodiv.org/biosafety/ and so mandates that the public is to be informed and educated about biosafety. However, the reaction against the technology in Europe has greater impacts on the public image elsewhere than can be generated from a rea- soned argument for the safe use of the technology. In addition, many parts of the developing world have not put in place the framework for dealing with the issues of GM crops and their products. It is relatively simple for countries to set up a legal framework. In fact, many have done so, and in this regard the Zambian government has devel- oped a National Biosafety and Biotechnology Strategy Plan for 2003 to 2007 in response to debate over GM foods. The five-year plan will take care of the unwarranted proliferation of GMOs in the country and set a local design for the development of biosafety regulations to protect the country’s unique biodiversity. Although the legal framework can easily be put in place, it is a much longer process to provide the scientific infrastructure to produce new food varieties. Again using the Zambian example, it is estimated that the imple- mentation of this plan will require an estimated $18 million for the devel- opment of human resources and infrastructure alone to deal with the GMO issues. Therefore, according to the Cartagena Protocol, countries must institute processes to ensure that LMOs are used safely. These needs are many and complex and include: ∑ A versatile and flexible system for receiving notifications about the intended introduction of a LMO that can handle both contained and released organisms ∑ Ensuring completeness of the notification so that all the necessary information is provided ∑ Scientific oversight of the risk assessment whether it is performed in the country or from data provided 1 9 4 10. B I O E T H I C A L C O N C E R N S A N D T H E F U T U R E O F P L A N T G E N O M I C S ∑ Systems that allow public and stakeholder comment to be considered before any decision being made ∑ The inclusion of modifications as a result of public comment ∑ The release of the decision to the party concerned and the public Most important of all, this structure must be in place before the first deci- sion is, or can be, made. As is required in item 3, there must be appropriate scientific resources to evaluate the data, and these resources are currently unavailable in many of the developing countries. As the distribution of GM crops increases, there will be many opportu- nities for countries to cooperate in the decisions concerning the release of such crops. Because many of the parameters would be similar, it may not be necessary for neighboring countries to repeat the complete process for a product that has already been approved by a neighboring country; for example, would Kenya and Uganda need to independently repeat all the steps to approve a product once it has been approved in one of these two countries? At present, there is a growing interest in biosecurity because of major international developments such as the globalization of the world eco- nomy, rapid increase in communications, transport, and trade, technological progress, and an increased awareness of biological diversity and environ- mental issues. The international regulatory institutions that impinge on world food trade issues are shown in Table 10.2. The international regulations covering movement of GMO (or LMOs) and the number of countries that agree to these regulations are also shown in Table 10.2. The Cartagena Protocol required a minimum of 50 signatories for formal adoption, a number that has now been reached. The adoption of biotechnology and the introduction of GM foods into the international marketplace have further complicated an already difficult area of trade policy. Diverging national regulations and public perceptions have impacts on the trade in these products. The recent WTO agreement on agriculture has not yet been fully implemented, and many of the issues still outstanding are highly contentious. Because there is little goodwill in the policy community that can be directed to resolving the growing trade irri- tants caused by GM foods, the private sector may need to change how it introduces and markets the new products of biotechnology to maintain market access (Pardey and Ko, 2003). In Africa, according to their ministers of agriculture, farmers urgently need appropriate modern biotechnology packages to help improve the declining production of major food and cash crops. However, if African and other developing nations are not to be marginalized further, but rather benefit from biotechnology, they must have initiatives that include improv- ing their expert capacity for science and technology by producing a core of highly skilled scientists or experts. In addition, the next generation of trans- P U B L I C P E R C E P T I O N 1 9 5 genic crops should have definite consumer advantages, such as better nutri- tional value in a culturally acceptable form, to overcome the possibility that in developing countries the emphasis on the risks and dangers of biotech- nology will, one day down the road, overshadow the positive benefits of the technology. Download 1.13 Mb. Do'stlaringiz bilan baham: |
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