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 »Consultation on emerging biotechnologies
The Council has launched a call for views and evidence on the ethical issues raised by emerging biotechnologies. By looking at both current examples, such as synthetic biology and nanotechnology, and taking lessons from older cases, such as GM crops and IVF, the Council is interested in the way society and policy makers respond to new biotechnologies and how benefits from these technologies can be secured in an ethically appropriate manner.
The deadline for responses is 15 June 2011.
read more »Emerging biotechnologies - Consultation
The consultation on emerging biotechnologies closed on 15 June 2011.
The Council would like to thank everyone who contributed to the consultation. The responses are being considered by the Working Party. A report with recommendations for policy will be published in autumn 2012.
Where permission has been granted, the responses will be available to download after the Working Party has published its report.
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.