The Use of GM Crops in Developing Countries
Introduction
Background
1.1 In May 1999, the Nuffield Council on Bioethics published a Report on Genetically modified crops: the ethical and social issues.1 When work began in 1997, issues raised by the use of genetically modified (GM) crops had received relatively little public attention. By the time the Report was published, GM plants and animals had been likened in the media to Frankenstein’s monsters. It was claimed that reckless academic and commercial scientists were endangering the natural world. This view gained wide support and GM crops were frequently referred to as ‘Frankenfoods’. In his foreword the Chairman of the Working Party, Professor Alan Ryan, wrote:
‘As Reports of previous Working Parties have had occasion to observe, heat and light are not the same thing. We have been struck by the extent to which hard-to-allay fears are aroused by almost any discussion of genetic science, not only in this context, but also in the contexts of cloning and the genetic components of physical and mental illness.’
1.2 In June 1999, the Environment Ministers of the European Union (EU) declared a de facto moratorium on the use of GM crops which had not yet received regulatory approval. Since then, the controversy about their use has persisted and intensified. In many parts of Europe, experimental field trials on GM crops have been sabotaged. In the UK, some farmers, fearing repercussions, withdrew from these experiments. Supermarkets and restaurants have labelled produce as ‘GM-free’ to allay the concerns of consumers. Others, however, unconvinced about the alleged risks of GM crops, view these developments with dismay.
1.3 Most people believe that evidence-based, rational assessment of risks and benefits should take the place of scaremongering and highly polarised debates. As one way of contributing to a more balanced and open discussion, the UK Government announced in 2002 a public debate on possible uses of genetic modification. This comprised three strands: a series of public meetings and discussions;2 an economic analysis of the costs and benefits of using GM crops;3 and a review of the science underlying the genetic modification of plants.4 The Council decided to complement these various initiatives by producing a Discussion Paper to follow up its 1999 Report. This Paper focuses in particular on the role of GM crops in developing countries (see Box 1.1). There were two main reasons for this decision.
1.4 First, the Council was concerned that disproportionate attention was being paid to the implications of the use of GM crops in developed countries, at the expense of consideration of poorer countries. This narrow focus ignores the possibility that decisions made about the use of GM crops in developed countries may also have considerable consequences for those in developing countries. Furthermore, some developing countries have already adopted the technology. Since 1999, the total area planted with GM crops in developing countries has more than doubled, from 7.2 to 16.0 million hectares.5 The implications of this development deserve further examination.
1.5 Secondly, the 1999 Report concluded that on the basis of the evidence available, there was a moral imperative for making GM crops readily and economically available to those in developing countries who wanted them.6 We intended to ask whether the arguments for this conclusion were still valid today. To answer these questions, the Council decided to reexamine the current and possible future role of GM crops in developing countries. This requires a careful analysis of the benefits and risks associated with their use. Below we briefly outline what these are commonly held to be.
Footnotes1 The Executive Summary of that Report is at Appendix 1.
2 GM Nation? The Public Debate. Available: http://www.gmpublicdebate.org.uk/index.html. Accessed on: 10 Oct 2003. A report summarising the discussions was published in September 2003, GM Nation? The findings of the public debate. Available: http://www.gmpublicdebate.org.uk/ut_09/ut_9_6.htm#summary. Accessed on: 8 Oct 2003.
5 James C (2002) Preview, Global Status of Commercialized Transgenic Crops: 2002 ISAAA Brief No. 27 (Ithaca, NY: ISAAA).
6 See paragraphs 4.1–4.82 of the 1999 Report.
3 GM Crops - Strategy Unit Study. Available: http://www.number10.gov.uk/output/Page3673.asp. Accessed on: 10 Oct 2003. The final report of the Strategy Unit was published in July 2003, Field Work: weighing up the costs and benefits of GM crops. Available: http://www.number-10.gov.uk/su/gm/index.htm. Accessed on: 10 Oct 2003.
4 GM Science Review. Available: http://www.gmsciencedebate.org.uk. Accessed on: 8 Oct 2003. The Science Review’s First Report – An open review of the science relevant to GM crops and food based on interests and concerns of the public. Available: http://www.gmsciencedebate.org.uk/report/default.htm. Accessed on: 10 Oct 2003.