Subcommitee G: Section 3

The Americas

By

Tona Boyd

"There is a broad consensus that the global food and agricultural system has the potential to continue producing enough food to increase per capita availability as the world population increases."(www.un.ogr/search/biotechnologyregulation)

Yet this statement hinges on whether or not the current food production rates are maintained or strengthened in both developing and non-developing countries. Increasing food production rates relies on implementing technology. In his book, the Ultimate Resource 2, Julian Simon agrees, stating, "much of the economic growth cannot be explained well by any factor other than an improvement in the level of technological practice (including improved organizational methods).www.inform.umd.edu/EdRes/Colleges/BMGT/.Faculty/JSimon/Ultimate_Resource/ Although the ever growing field of technology has the potential to bring prosperity to many, it is important that the dangers that can occur in genetically engineering crops not be overlooked.

Many of the developed countries in the Americas have similar regulations regarding genetically engineered crops. In the United States, there are three main agencies that oversee the regulation of biotechnology. The US Department of Agriculture, the Environmental Protection Agency and the Food and Drug Administration each oversee different aspects of the commercialization process involved in biotechnology. www.aphis.usda.gov/biotech/OECD/usregs.htm#usdalawBefore a product can be commercialized, it must adhere to state and federal standards, in order to protect the general public from harm. The current regulation in the United States is targeted to address three main issues: the safety of the environment, the safety of the worker and the safety of the consumer. An example of such regulation is the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, Androdenticide ACT (FIFRA). It falls under the auspices of the EPA, purporting to address certain microbial products of biotechnology, placing particular emphasis on small-scale field testing of genetically engineered, non-indigenous, and pathogenic microbial pesticides. http://gophisb.biochem.vt.edu/epasrc/enacted/epa.gui.txt

In Canada, in 1993, nine federal government departments agreed to a general foundation for regulating the products of biotechnology. Like the United States, they sought to maintain the safety of the workers, as well as the safety of the general public and the environment. The Canadian Departments of Agriculture and Environment then amended the regulations so that they would fit under the umbrella of the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, which functions as a safety net for products of biotechnology not regulated under federal legislation. The National Biotechnology Fund is used to improve regulations related to the development and management of biotechnology. www.un.org/search/biotechnologyregulation

Regulation of biotechnology in the developed countries in the Americas is relatively relaxed in comparison to the policies in Europe. The regulation hinges on the role biotechnology and genetically engineered crops play in the economies of the various countries. In the United States, both agriculture and technology are being heavily invested in for the future. (See Table 18-1 and Table 15-1). www.un.org/search/biotechnologyregulationAgricultural exports make up a large portion of exports from the United States, as shown in chart 18-2. http://www.usda.gov/news/pubs/fbook98/ch1a.htm Profit is an important driving force in the developed world. As the demand for food increases, as illustrated in figure 1-5, the demand for new ways to produce more food faster calls for technology to be implemented, however it is important not to allow the drive for profit to consume the situation. Regulation plays an important role in the process, ensuring that profit does not dictate

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