Already in March 2009, the UK Government's chief scientific adviser, Professor Sir John Beddington, declared that the planet faced 'a perfect storm' of food shortages, scarce water, and insufficient energy resources. "Green gene" technology and products are one possible solution to such resource crunches since agricultural productivity can be increased by use of genetically modified organisms (GMOs). Moreover, crops can be engineered to use less water, or to resist diseases. However, the increasing use of GMOs raises important questions about the different institutional arrangements in place for managing any associated risks to human health and to biodiversity. Different risk management approaches are followed in different countries, sometimes giving rise to disputes which have to be settled at the international level.

Worldwide, cultivation of GM plants is increasing; the main modified crops are soy, maize, cotton, and rapeseed. Eurobarometer surveys over the last decade show that skepticism is slowly decreasing among European consumers about the environmental and health impacts of GM foods. However, the arrival of more transgenic crops on agricultural markets is testing the EU’s recently overhauled regulatory framework for approving and labeling transgenic crops.

In 2009, Luxembourg, Austria, Greece, and Germany all imposed cultivation bans on genetically modified maize despite approval by the EU, leading to disputes between EU and trade partners like the United States with commercial interests in GM crops. The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) considers the studies cited against the GM maize to be scientifically unfounded. The World Trade Organisation (WTO) recently decided that national cultivation bans not based on scientifically valid studies constituted a violation of world trade agreements, with potentially expensive consequences. In the case of GM maize, the national authorities disagreed with EFSA’s scientific opinion. Experts anticipate the need for more assessments before widespread GM use. In the short-term, disputes are expected to increase. (Clementine Burnley)

For further information, please visit http://www.gmo-compass.org or http://www.efsa.europa.eu/en/efsajournal/pub/1879.htm.

Published in: ECC-Newsletter, 1/2011