Workshop A2: Risk assessment, precaution and approval processes

Environmental and health risks are supposed to the assessed and evaluated before any approval of GMOs in food and feed and for cultivation. How are these risk assessments conducted and what are their underlying concepts of risk and damage? How safe are these assessments, what is the experience so far? Who decides and monitores? How to challenge and influence the approval processes and how to defend a precautionary approach there? Case studies will be presented and discussed.

Speakers:

Angelika Hilbeck, EcoStrat GmbH - Switzerland

Janne Kuil,  Dutch Society for the Protection of Animals - Netherlands

Werner Müller,  Global 2000 - Austria

Daniel Ammann,  Schweizerische Arbeitsgruppe Gentechnologie SAG - Switzerland

 

Presentations:

Ammann:  The precautionary principle: Application, shortcommings and need for implementation

Müller:  Current shortcommings and uncertainties in the risk assessment of GMOs

Kuil:  Risk assessment, precaution and approval processes: consequences for animals

Hilbeck:  Environmental Risk Assessment of Transgenic Plants

Background Papers:

Müller:  Concepts for Coexistence

 

 Throwing caution to the wind - A review of the European Food Safety Authority and its work on genetically modified foods and crops, Friends of the Earth Europe (November 2004)

Austrian Ministry of Health, Proceedings of a Workshop, 2004 -  Assessment of Human Health Effects of GMO

 

An open review of the science relevant to GM crops and food based on interests and concerns of the public  UK GM Science Review

 

 Risk Assessment of GMO products in the European Union,
Toxicity assessment, allergenicity assessment and substantial equivalence in practice and proposals for improvement and standardisation; Federal Ministry of Healzh and Women - Austria (2004)

 

 LMOs and the Environment - Proceedings of an International Conference (November 2001)

 

 Throwing caution to the wind: A review of the European Food Safety Authority and its work on genetically modified foods and crops.
Friends of the Earth, November 2004

 

 COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION on the precautionary principle
European Commission, 2000

 

 Genetically Engineered Crops and Pesticide Use in the United States: The First Nine Years
Charles M. Benbrook, BioTech InfoNet, October 04

 

 Genetically Modified Foods: Are They a Risk to Human/Animal Health
Arpad Pusztai, American Institute of Biological Sciences, June 2001

 

 L'expertise confidentielle sur un inquiétant maïs transgénique
Le Monde, April 04