Genetic Engineering Biotechnology - Challenges and Opportunities May99

Thank you very much for inviting me to speak here. I am indeed very honoured. Earlier this month, I attended a Seminar on Biodiversity Law organised by high court judges and legal consultants in Brasilia. They expected 50 to 100. In the event 1200 turned up. The seminar happens to coincide with a series of battles over field trials and commercial approval of Monsanto's transgenic soya by the heavily pro-biotech National Technical Committee on Biosafety against the advice of the Brazilian Academy of Science. This has pitched state governments against the federal government, and different departments of the federal government find themselves in opposition. The federal Environment Protection Agency has formed a 'legal consortium' with Greenpeace and another ngo, the Consumer Defence Institute, and are locked in combat against the partnership of Monsanto and the National Biosafety Committee. The federal court has approved Monsanto's transgenic soya for commercial release, but requires Monsanto to segregate and label the produce. However, Monsanto is trying to overturn this requirement with the help of the National Biosafety Committee. Feelings are running very high over this issue.