Abstract
It has been obvious for at least the last 15 years that genetically modified organisms would be released into the environment when used commercially. Why, then, are we in Europe in the middle of a period of intense debate about the safety of such releases? In part, the answer must be that we have foolishly decided to stigmatise biotechnology by requiring regulatory control solely on the basis that something is a GMO. Also it is very clear that the European Commission in particular greatly underestimated the growth of the technology and has been totally unprepared to handle public disquiet and the need for efficient and effective regulation. Regrettably, none of these problems is close to resolution, and indeed with the redrafting of Directive 90/220 they appear to be getting much worse. We must live with the consequences of ineptitude, so there is a need to consider why in Europe there is so much concern about environmental risks.
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© 2000 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg
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Beringer, J. (2000). GMO Releases in the Environment. In: Balázs, E., et al. Biological Resource Management Connecting Science and Policy. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-04033-1_23
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-04033-1_23
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