In This
Issue:
BIOSAFETY PROTOCOL NOW OPERATIONAL
The
87 member states of the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety have adopted
documentation requirements and other procedures for promoting the
safety of international trade in living or genetically modified
organisms (LMOS/GMOs). This
was agreed in a meeting of the Parties to the Cartagena Protocol
on Biosafety in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
The
Convention on Biological Diversity said that under the new system,
all bulk shipments of GM crops intended for food, feed or processing
(such as soybeans and corn) are to be identified as “may
contain LMOs.” The accompanying documentation should also
indicate the contact details of the importer, exporter or other
appropriate authority.
Hamdallah
Zedah, the Protocol’s Executive Secretary, notes that with
an operational system for identifying and labeling GMO exports, “countries
can enjoy the benefits of biotechnology with greater confidence
while avoiding the potential risks.”
More
detailed documentation was also agreed to be required for those
GMOs (such as genetically engineered seeds and fish) that are meant
to be introduced directly to the environment. These shipments should
be clearly identified as "destined for contained use.” The
common, scientific and commercial names of the modified organism,
the transformation event code or unique identifier code, any handling
and storage requirements, contact details in the case of emergency,
and how the GMO is to be used, should be specified in the accompanying
documents.
The
meeting also adopted procedures and mechanisms for promoting compliance
with the Protocol and assisting countries in cases of non-compliance.
It established a 15-member compliance committee that will submit
regular reports and recommendations to the governing body of the
Protocol. A negotiating group of legal and technical experts on
liability and redress for damages resulting from transboundary
movements of GMOs was also launched. Likewise, the Biosafety Clearing
House (which enables governments to share information on GMOs,
national legislation, and other critical matters) was made fully
functional.
View
online the Convention on Biological Diversity’s news release
at
http://www.biodiv.org/doc/press/2004/pr-2004-02-27-bs-en.pdf.
For more information, contact Michael Williams at michael.williams@unep.ch.
A CALL FOR ADOPTION OF NEW TECHNOLOGIES IN AFRICA
Key
African stakeholders who attended a recent technology policy workshop
in Nairobi, Kenya called for the increased use of new technologies
to improve agricultural productivity in Africa. Speaking during
the African Technology Policy Studies network (ATPS) workshop,
Prof. Norah Olembo, chairperson, Biotechnology Trust Africa (BTA)
urged African leaders to develop concrete plans to enable the continent
to import, domesticate and use new technologies for faster economic
development.
During
the workshop, key policy makers, researchers, scientists, industrialists,
donors, journalists and other stakeholders reviewed Kenya’s
Economic Recovery Strategy Paper. The participants were unanimous
that Africa could not develop without constructive engagement of
scientists, researchers, industrialists and governments. Some of
the issues that emerged from the discussion were:
- Scientists
and policy makers should develop concrete policies to guide the
implementation of science and technology innovations. Constructive
engagements between scientists, technologists and politicians should
also be encouraged.
- Scientists
should actively market themselves and their activities while, at
the same time, proactively seek solutions to problems. They should
also develop technology pacts with industrialists to help them
in commercializing their research products.
- To be able to modernize African Agriculture, low-yielding traditional
seeds should be phased out but caution should be taken to ensure
that this will
not have adverse effects on resource-poor farmers, who are largely dependent
on
these type of seeds.
This
technology policy workshop is a follow-up activity of the 2003
Scientific Revival Day in Africa, where it was suggested that the
various sectors meet regularly with policy-makers to discuss how
they could dialogue with one another on issues fostering the use
of science and technology for Kenya’s development. /African
Technology Policy Studies and Kenya Biotechnology Information Center
(http://www.isaaa-africenter.org)
UGANDA APPROVES THE IMPORTATION OF GM CROPS
The
Ugandan government recently approved the importation of genetically
modified (GM) foods into the country with strict instructions that
they will be solely used for consumption, and not for cultivation.
According
to the statement issued by the National Agricultural Research Organisation
(NARO), the Ugandan government was said to "recognize the
controversial nature of this subject (GM importation) and has therefore
decided to proceed with caution, building consensus at all stages." The
Ugandan government was also described to be concerned that policy
decisions should not adversely affect the development of science.
This
decision is the first time that the Ugandan government has declared
an explicit policy on GM foods. However, acknowledgements have
been made that some scientific questions about the potential environmental
risks of GM crops still remain in the open.
According
to George Otim-Nape, NARO director-general, the position of the
Ugandan government is that GM foods can be considered safe for
human consumption until proven otherwise. At the same time, he
says, given that long-term risks cannot be entirely ruled out,
Uganda will continue to "build capacity to understand, assess,
evaluate and manage potential risks and benefits of biotechnology."
See
the news release at http://www.scidev.net/News/index.cfm?fuseaction=readNews&itemid=1257&language=1
BIO-VALLEYS FOR TAMIL NADU
The
government of Tamil Nadu in India will facilitate the establishment
of Biotechnology Enterprise Zones or Bio-Valleys to exploit the
bioresources of the State. On the drawing board is the setting
up of different types of biotech entities consisting of a research
organization, service providers, as well as companies which will
commercialize the new products and processes.
According
to S. Felix, associate professor of the Fisheries Biotechnology
Centre, Fisheries College and Research Institute in Tamil Nadu,
four biotech parks and a bioinformatics and genomics centre will
be established to form a Biotechnology Enterprise Zone.
This
zone will include a biotechnology incubator park to focus on agriculture,
medical, environment and industrial biotechnology opportunities;
a women’s biotechnology park to focus on microenterprise
and traditional biotechnologies; and a medicinal plants biotechnology
park.
S. Felix’s
article entitled “Biotechnology policy of the government
of Tamil Nadu and the scope for development” is in Vol. 6,
No. 1, 2003 issue of Asian Biotechnology and Development Review.
For more information about this journal, email Sachin Chaturvedi,
managing editor, at sachin@ris.org.in.
FAO E-MAIL CONFERENCE ON ROLE OF BIOTECH IN RESEARCH
What
should be the role and focus of biotechnology in the agricultural
research agendas of developing countries? This was posed in a moderated
e-mail conference hosted by the Food and Agriculture Organization
Biotechnology Forum. Major points raised during that conference
were:
- The
agricultural research agenda should be defined using a "bottom-up" approach,
based on the needs of local communities in developing countries.
The needs and realities of small farmers in developing countries
require special attention in the research agenda.
- Research
is very important for developing country agriculture and more public
funding of biotechnology research is needed.
- Biotechnology
research can and should complement research into conventional technologies.
Research collaboration, both within and between countries, is essential
for developing countries but there are some reservations about
public-private sector collaborations.
- Intellectual
property rights are an issue of concern for biotechnology research
in developing countries.
The
summary document of the FAO e-mail conference is now available
online at
http://www.fao.org/biotech/logs/C8/summary.htm or can be requested from biotech-admin@fao.org.
EMBRAPA: NEW GM WAVE COMING
A new
wave of genetically modified (GM) plants is coming and they will
be more relevant to consumers. This was emphasized by Embrapa’s
Alexandre Nepomuceno in a talk at the III Brazilian Soya Congress,
which coincides with the VII Worldwide Conference of Soya Research
at Iguaçu.
Examples
given by Nepomuceno were research aimed at a strawberry with high
vitamin C, and soya oil with the same characteristics as olive
oil. He also mentioned edible vaccines to protect against infant
diarrhea and other illnesses as well as the possibility of plastic
production from plants.
Nepomuceno
explained that the adoption of the next phase of GM plants will
have to happen slowly. He noted that society has to be well informed
of what the technology really is and its potential risks.
EMPRAPA
or the Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation provides feasible
solutions for the sustainable development of Brazilian agribusiness
through knowledge and technology generation and transfer.
More
on EMBRAPA at http://www.embrapa.br/english/index.htm.
MONSANTO GETS GM SAFETY CERTIFICATES FROM CHINA
Monsanto
has received approval from the Chinese government of final safety
certificates for the importation of genetically modified (GM) crops.
The safety certificates will allow for a more predictable process
for traders and continued trade of Roundup Ready soy beans.
Jerry
Hjelle, Monsanto’s vice president of regulatory affairs said
that Monsanto received safety certificates for import of five commercial
products in soy beans, corn, and cotton. It hopes to receive a
favorable decision on an additional crop - canola.
Visit
the Monsanto website at http://www.monsanto.com.
DUPONT AND SYNGENTA GIVE TO GLOBAL CROP DIVERSITY TRUST
The
Global Crop Diversity Trust, an international fund charged with
securing long-term funding for the support of genebanks and crop
diversity collections around the world, has obtained the commitments
of Dupont and Syngenta for its program. The two companies pledged
$1 M each.
Formed
in 2002 by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization
and the 16 Future Harvest Centers of the Consultative Group on
International Agriculture Research, the Trust has been charged
with raising a $260 million endowment to maintain the world's most
critical germplasm for agricultural and industrial crops as well
as support struggling collections especially those in developing
countries.
The
crop diversity collections, holding millions of plant samples housed
in gene banks, provide the raw material necessary for plant breeders
to develop reliable, hardier, more productive and nutritious food
crops for farmers.
More
information on the Trust is available at http://startwithaseed.org.
Visit Dupont at http://www.dupont.com and Syngenta at http://www.syngenta.com.
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
EXEC SUMMARY OF ISAAA BRIEFS 30 IN ARABIC AND ITALIAN
The
Arabic and Italian versions of the Executive Summary of ISAAA Briefs
30, written by Dr. Clive James, Chair, ISAAA Board of Directors,
is now available online at http://www.isaaa.org/kc.
This publication is also available in English and in Portugese,
while its press
release is available in French, German, Hindi, Indonesian, Italian,
Japanese, Spanish, Spanish-Argentinian, and Thai. All of these
other publications are also downloadable from the same site.
STUDY
ON BIOLOGICAL RESOURCES AND TRADITIONAL KNOWLEDGE
A pre-publication
version of the study by A.K. Gupta entitled "The Role of Intellectual
Property Rights in the Sharing of Benefits Arising from the Use
of Biological Resources and Traditional Knowledge,” which
was commissioned by the World Intellectual Property Organization
(WIPO) and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) is available
online at http://www.wipo.int/edocs/prdocs/en/2004/wipo_pr_2004_373.html.
In this publication, three case studies were considered including
a 35-page study of the patenting of the gene Xa21 of wild rice
from Mali, which confers resistance to bacterial rice blight. The
press release of the study is available in English, French and
Spanish. Interested parties may also email publicinf@wipo.int for
more information. |
