Risk Governance of Genetically Modified Crops – European and American Perspectives

Abstract

Genetically Modified (GM) crops occupy a unique place in the evolution of risk governance approaches to dealing with modern, path-breaking technologies. They were the first such technology to be regulated on a precautionary basis, in a generic sense, from the earliest stages of a technology development process that began in the 1980s and is still evolving. Today, distinctively different risk governance processes are in place in the European Union (EU) and the USA and the roots of these differences can also be traced back to the 1980s. The European regulatory process is more complex and demanding than that for any other technology; as a result, few GM crops are grown in or imported into Europe. And yet, although GM crops are grown on millions of hectares in the rest of the world, and GM foods are consumed on a daily basis by millions of people, under much less demanding regulatory regimes, there is so far no evidence of environmental or health risks associated with approved products based on this technology, and considerable evidence of their benefits.