GM crops in developing countries
This discussion paper is a follow-up to the Council's 1999 report on GM crops.
With a particular focus on developing countries, the paper reviews the scientific evidence, socio-economic trends, and developments in policy, trade and regulation.
read more »GM Crops
The Council set up a Working Party in 1998 to consider the ethical, social, and regulatory issues raised by the genetic modification of crops, several years before this became the topic of fierce public debate in the UK and abroad.
The final report, published in 1999, considers aspects of environmental protection, food safety and consumer choice.
read more »'Biofuels: ethical issues' report launch
The Council will publish a report on the ethical issues raised by biofuels on 13 April 2011.
This report follows an 18-month inquiry chaired by Professor Joyce Tait, Scientific Adviser to the Innogen Centre at Edinburgh University.
read more »Biofuels Working Party meets with policy makers
As part of its ongoing investigation, the Council’s Working Party on New Approaches to Biofuels met with senior policy makers in July to discuss the policy issues raised by biofuels.
Policy representatives from governmental and national institutions attended the meeting, including speakers from the Renewable Fuels Agency, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council.
A number of questions were debated, including:
read more »GM crops in developing countries - Policy, trade and regulation
Download a PDF of Chapter 5 - Governance (190KB)
Decisions about the development, planting and regulation of GM crops take place at many levels, from international regulations down to individual farmers. We outline the system of international governance applying to GM crops and highlight ethical and regulatory issues. We then discuss a number of specific challenges applying to developing countries:
read more »GM crops in developing countries - Questions about GM crops in developing countries
Download a PDF of Chapter 4 - Questions relating to the use of GM crops in developing countries (190KB)
We consider a number of questions that are frequently asked about the introduction of GM crops in developing countries:
In view of the amount of food available worldwide, are GM crops really necessary?
read more »GM crops in developing countries - Possible benefits of GM crops in developing countries
Download a PDF of Chapter 3 - Current and potential uses of GM Crops in developing countries (220KB)
Pest infestations, diseases and poor weather conditions may all significantly lower crop yields in developing countries. GM crops could address these problems, where other breeding techniques have failed. We consider a series of case studies:
read more »GM crops in developing countries - Poverty and hunger
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777 million people in developing countries, including one third of the population of sub-Saharan Africa, are undernourished.