Regulation of GM and GE Innovations in Agriculture
New technology adoption and use is important for the development of agriculture. How it is regulated can, however, have a significant influence on adoption, use and impact. When Genetically Modified (GM) crop technology first became available for widespread use in the 1990s, it was considered sufficiently novel that many countries introduced new GM technology-specific regulation that had not, and continues to, not be applied to other forms of new technology used in the sector. With the development of newer, more precise Gene Editing (GE) technology, how this new technology is to be regulated has become a key issue of debate, especially given the need for the world to respond to rapidly developing climate change impacts on global agricultural production and food security. Some countries have already formalised their regulation of GE technology use in agriculture, whilst others continue to debate and discuss how to proceed. Against this background, it is noted that the literature relating to the impact of regulation of GM and other novel technology use in agriculture is limited.
The aim of this Collection is to identify and publish research findings relating to the impact of regulation of new technology in agriculture, with a specific focus on GM and GE regulation. In particular, the Collection seeked papers exploring the following:
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Impact of Regulation (and differences in the nature of regulation between countries) on innovation;
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Impact of regulation (and differences in the nature of regulation between countries) on farm level adoption and use;
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Impact of regulation (and differences in the nature of regulation between countries) on trade in agricultural commodities, derivatives and foods derived from GM and GE technology;
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How has regulation (and differences in the nature of regulation between countries) affected agriculture’s scope for mitigating climate change and addressing bio-diversity loss;
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Impact of regulation such as labelling on consumer choice, product availability and price;
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Comparisons of regulatory approaches and lessons to be learned;
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Differences between regulatory approaches adopted or being considered for GM versus GE innovations.
All manuscripts submitted to this Article Collection underwent desk assessment and peer-review as part of our standard editorial process.
Guest advisors
Graham Brookes(Agricultural Economist, PG Economics, Dorset, UK)
An agricultural economist with PG Economics Ltd, a UK-based business that specialises in examining economic issues relating to the impact of technology, policy changes and regulatory impact. He has >35 years of experience of undertaking research projects relating to the impact of regulation on competitiveness in the agricultural and input supply sectors, the impact of policy change and the socio-economic and environmental impact of new technologies like agricultural biotechnology.