The Use of GM Crops in Developing Countries
Specific conclusions and recommendations
The precautionary approach
It has sometimes been suggested that GM crops should not be used because there may be a very low probability of the occurrence of an unpredictable adverse effect on the environment or on human health. This case is frequently argued in terms of the so called precautionary principle. The argument is that, irrespective of possible benefits, a new technology should never be introduced unless there is a guarantee that no risk will arise. If this line of thought is pursued to its logical outcome, there should be a delay (i.e. a moratorium) in the use of the technology until a complete assurance of absence of risk is available. However, no one can ever guarantee an absolute absence of risk arising from the use of any new technology. In our view, such a principle would lead to an inappropriate embargo on the introduction of all new technology. We have come firmly to the view that the only sensible interpretation of the precautionary principle is comparative, i.e. to select the course of action (or of inaction) with least overall risk. We use the term precautionary approach to indicate that it is not a single inflexible rule, as often portrayed, but a way of applying a set of interacting criteria to a given situation. We make the following observations in offering this interpretation.
- An excessively conservative interpretation of the precautionary approach, demanding evidence of the absence of all risk before allowing the pursuit of a new technology is fundamentally at odds with any practical strategy of investigating new technologies. In fact, such interpretations are essentially impractical. There are countless cases which show that if it were essential to demonstrate complete absence of all risk before the introduction of a new technology, then technical achievements such as vaccination, aeroplanes or mobile phones, which have become accepted by almost everybody, would never have entered regular use.
- It is easier to forgo possible benefits in the light of assumed hazards, if the status quo is already largely satisfactory. Thus, for developed countries, the benefits offered by GM crops may, so far, be relatively modest. However, in developing countries the degree of poverty and the often unsatisfactory state of health and agricultural sustainability is the baseline, and the feasibility of alternative ways to improve their situation must be the comparator.
- To hold to the most conservative interpretation of the precautionary approach invokes the fallacy of thinking that the option of doing nothing is itself without risk. Yet, food security and environmental conditions are actually deteriorating in many developing countries. Restrictive interpretations of the precautionary approach that imply a general prohibition on the use of GM technology therefore require very strong justification.
In some cases the use of a GM crop variety may well pose fewer risks than the agricultural system already in operation. We therefore conclude that an adequate interpretation of the precautionary approach would require comparison of the risks of the status quo with those posed by other possible paths of action. Such assessments must be based on sound scientific data (paragraphs 4.35-4.42).