XVI International Botanical Congess

In the past twenty years or so, the Precautionary Principle has evolved from a little known environmental policy to the status of international customary law. The Precautionary Principle advocates taking anticipatory action to safeguard against technological hazards, even when scientific assessments of harm are inconclusive. While the principle is not uniformly implemented, it has been evoked in several national and international policies on genetically engineered (GE) crops. At the same time, however, we have witnessed the rapid growth of agricultural biotechnology--from the first small-scale releases in the late 1980s to almost 70 million acres planted world-wide in 1998--along with increased public dissatisfaction with exclusive, expert" decisions-making. Are current regulations for GE crops sufficiently precautionary? How can, or should, the values of the Precautionary Principle be applied to agricultural biotechnology? What new responsibilities would this shift require of the scientific community?