Evolving European GM regulation: an example of biopolitics at work

EU biotech crop regulations and environmental risk: a case of the emperor's new clothes?

European Union Commissioner for the Environment Stavros Dimas recently hailed 'upgraded' non-genetically modified (GM) crops as an alternative to GM crops. A comparative analysis of the environmental risks associated with such non-GM herbicide-resistant crops and GM herbicide-resistant crops is presented here. The analysis highlights serious weaknesses in the European Union (EU) regulatory framework, and the contradictory policy of the EU Commission on the precautionary principle is also shown. The continued political stance of ignoring these regulatory and policy inconsistencies is examined and found to be flawed. It is postulated that, even in the face of these flaws and coupled with recent statements from the UK drawing attention to inconsistencies in the EU regulatory framework, the EU will continue to ignore the real and present environmental risks associated with upgraded non-GM crops for biopolitical reasons.

Irish public perceptions and attitudes to modern biotechnology: an overview with a focus on GM foods

This article summarizes the current situation pertaining to modern biotechnology in Ireland, with a particular focus on genetically modified (GM) crops. It briefly examines some important results of the major national surveys carried out in Ireland since 1989, highlights the recent upsurge in media (newspaper) coverage of GM related stories in three Irish opinion leader publications and it allows for an insight into the Irish public's relationship with modern biotechnology.