TY - JOUR
T1 - Confronting coexistence in the United States
T2 - Organic agriculture, genetic engineering, and the case of Roundup Ready® alfalfa
AU - Hubbard, Kristina
AU - Hassanein, Neva
N1 - Funding Information:
AC21 Advisory Committee on Biotechnology and 21st Century Agriculture APHIS Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service CFS Center for Food Safety EA Environmental assessment EFSA European Food Safety Authority EIS Environmental impact statement EU European Union FONSI Finding of No Significant Impact GE Genetically engineered GMO Genetically modified organism NEPA National Environmental Policy Act NGO Non-governmental organization NOP National Organic Program NRC National Research Council rBGH Recombinant Bovine Growth Hormone RR Roundup Ready® USDA United States Department of Agriculture
PY - 2013/9
Y1 - 2013/9
N2 - In agriculture, the principle of coexistence refers to a condition where different primary production systems can exist in the vicinity of each other, and can be managed in such a way that they affect each other as little as possible. Coexistence policies aim to ensure that farmers are able to freely grow the crops they choose-be they genetically engineered (GE), non-GE conventional, or organic. In the United States (US), the issue of coexistence has very recently come into sharp relief with the introduction of Roundup Ready® (RR) alfalfa, a landmark court decision in 2007 (Geertson v. Johanns), and subsequent governmental actions, including the first Environmental Impact Statement on a GE crop. By contrast, in 2003 the European Union (EU) created a policy to manage coexistence and to address economic harms that may be caused by contamination. We briefly review the EU framework as an instructive resource. This policy analysis then looks at the US organic industry and its standards with respect to GE before turning to the case of RR alfalfa. With a focus on the field trial stage and on environmental assessments prior to market approval, the case reveals numerous problems in the existing regulatory framework as it pertains to coexistence and prevention of contamination of organic products with GE material. The paper concludes with specific policy recommendations for creating a more robust coexistence policy in the US.
AB - In agriculture, the principle of coexistence refers to a condition where different primary production systems can exist in the vicinity of each other, and can be managed in such a way that they affect each other as little as possible. Coexistence policies aim to ensure that farmers are able to freely grow the crops they choose-be they genetically engineered (GE), non-GE conventional, or organic. In the United States (US), the issue of coexistence has very recently come into sharp relief with the introduction of Roundup Ready® (RR) alfalfa, a landmark court decision in 2007 (Geertson v. Johanns), and subsequent governmental actions, including the first Environmental Impact Statement on a GE crop. By contrast, in 2003 the European Union (EU) created a policy to manage coexistence and to address economic harms that may be caused by contamination. We briefly review the EU framework as an instructive resource. This policy analysis then looks at the US organic industry and its standards with respect to GE before turning to the case of RR alfalfa. With a focus on the field trial stage and on environmental assessments prior to market approval, the case reveals numerous problems in the existing regulatory framework as it pertains to coexistence and prevention of contamination of organic products with GE material. The paper concludes with specific policy recommendations for creating a more robust coexistence policy in the US.
KW - Agricultural biotechnology
KW - Coexistence
KW - Coordinated Framework for Biotechnology
KW - Genetic engineering
KW - Organic agriculture
KW - Roundup Ready® alfalfa
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84883791604&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1007/s10460-012-9394-6
DO - 10.1007/s10460-012-9394-6
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:84883791604
SN - 0889-048X
VL - 30
SP - 325
EP - 335
JO - Agriculture and Human Values
JF - Agriculture and Human Values
IS - 3
ER -