The Regulation of Genetically Modified Organisms: Comparative Approaches

The regulation of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) continues to generate controversy. On the one hand, they are actively promoted by the biotechnology industry as vital to ensuring food security. Yet, on the other hand, consumer resistance persists, not least in the European Union, and such lack of confidence extends not just to GM food itself but also to the regulatory regime, where legal issues are inextricably linked with economics and politics.

This edited collection provides a novel contribution to the ongoing debate, recognizing that the legislative environment is complicated by forces as varied as national public opinion and world trade commitments.

The book is divided into four parts. The first of these addresses the influence in this context of both civil society and economic imperatives. The second part is directed more specifically to the measures that have been implemented in the European Union, considering multi-level governance, wider aspects of food law, co-existence with conventional and organic crops, and environmental liability. The third part is comparative in focus, with chapters covering the diverse regimes implemented in Africa, Australia, North America and South America. The book concludes with chapters on world trade and international considerations, including analysis of the Biotech case.

Luc Bodiguel completed his thesis under the direction of Professor Louis Lorvellec in 2001. Since then he has been employed by the CNRS, as a member of the research group located at the University of Nantes. He has undertaken numerous funded projects and has also played an important role in the European Council for Agricultural Law. His thesis, L'Entreprise Rurale: Entre Activités Économiques et Territoire Rural, was published by L'Harmattan in 2002 and he continues to write on agricultural and environmental law both in France and internationally. After working in legal practice with Burges Salmon, Bristol, Michael Cardwell joined the School of Law, University of Leeds, in 1990. Early research was directed to both agricultural tenancies and quota regimes. More recently, he has extended this focus to reform of the Common Agricultural Policy and to agriculture in world trade. His publications include Milk Quotas: European Community and United Kingdom Law (OUP 1996) and The European Model of Agriculture (OUP, 2004).