Chapter Eight

Future Perspectives

 

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The science underpinning developments in modern genetics is not informing the public in a manner commensurate with the volume and quality of the scientific data and analysis available. The scientific community could play a more active and better organized role in raising public awareness about emerging genetics and what it means for different societies, in terms of choices, risks and benefits. 

Much data has been generated over the past decade on the behaviour of genetically modified organisms in various environments. It would be helpful to guide future regulatory decisions if more of this data was made publicly available. For example, there is a wealth of data that has come from the monitoring of the commercial cultivation of genetically modified crops over the past several years. In 2002, there was approximately 60 m ha of genetically modified crops cultivated in 16 countries. 

Additional, publicly funded research that addresses key gaps in present knowledge would be valuable to inform the debate about the use of modern genetics. The value of this research may be increased if the key questions are framed in an “authorising environment” that reflects the concerns of the public, policy makers and politicians, nationally and internationally.

In the regulatory area, additional research is necessary to assist in the continued development of regulatory approaches that keeps abreast of new scientific developments. For example, there is a need for the continued development of food safety assessment methods, to deal with emerging products such as nutritionally enhanced foods and other complex traits controlled by multiple genes. There is also a need for the development of internationally agreed standards for the assessments of environmental risks and benefits of genetically modified organisms.

The broad range of applications in modern genetics in agriculture could contribute more towards improving the efficiency and sustainability of agriculture in emerging economies. Currently available applications of new genetics could improve the efficiency of plant breeding; develop new diagnostics and vaccines for the control of pests, parasites and diseases in crops, trees, livestock and fish; and generate disease-free planting material, with substantial increases in productivity. .

Genetically modified crops also offer promise to contribute more towards food security and poverty reduction. New varieties of crops with useful traits may result from public or private investments or, increasingly through public/private partnerships, which offer much promise for addressing the problems in emerging economies in which private companies would not normally invest. However, the successful deployment of new products will require public acceptance of new products; an enabling policy and regulatory environment, including safety assessments and intellectual property management; investments in research and development; and local private sector development for distribution and marketing of seeds and other new products. 

Ethics, values and choices

Science is a creative enterprise, in which the ethics and values of individuals and societies play an increasingly important role in determining what are publicly acceptable and unacceptable uses of new knowledge. The choices these ethics and values imply differ in different societies. It is important that the values of one society or groups therein are not imposed on others, and thus restrict their choices to mobilise the best of science to suit their needs.  

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