Parsi, France
February 12, 2009
USDA/FAS GAIN report number FR
9003
Report Highlights:
A working group formed by
the French Ministry of Agriculture will meet in February to
provide recommendations on coexistence rules. In view of the
fact that both the working group and the High Biotech
Committee will include representation from environmental
NGOs and other stakeholders in addition to scientists, a
political outcome is all but assured. The High Biotech
Committee, created by decree on December 7, will use the
conclusions of this working group to formalize
recommendations on coexistence to the French Government.
However, to date, the High Biotech Committee is not
operational, as French authorities have not been able to
compromise on a president for this authority.
Executive Summary
On December 7th, France created a
new biotech approval authority (High Biotech Committee) under a
biotech bill passed in June, 2008. Next steps will include the
selection of a president and members of the High Committee,
which will include social and ethical representatives in
addition to scientists. The new competent authority must
recommend, among other priorities, the technical conditions for
producing biotech crops through a new coexistence framework.
In response to public demand for input, the Ministry of
Agriculture recently formed a working group to propose
coexistence measures to the new authority. The group is expected
to meet in February. Its membership will include representatives
from the farming community, agrofood industry, researchers,
environmentalists and local authorities. Their conclusions will
be a factor in the coexistence rules to be recommended by the
High Biotech Committee to the French Government. The final
decree, to be established by the Minister of Agriculture and
the Minister of Environment, will influence, to a great extent,
the economic viability of biotech crops in France.
Background
A national environmental review in 2007 (which resulted in the
dissolution of the previous, science-based competent authority)
and an EU threat to impose significant fines for failure to
implement EU Directive 2001/18 in a timely manner, prompted
France to pass a biotech bill in June 2008.
This legislation called for a new biotech authority (High
Biotech Committee) whose mission, as defined in the biotech
bill, is to provide advice to the French Government on a wide
range of issues relative to biotech products. More specifically,
its purview includes responsibility for proposing a definition
for non-biotech products; recommending coexistence measures for
biotech and non-biotech crop cultivation; and reviewing
applications on the confined use of GE products and on the
release into the environment (cultivation) of a large number of
GE
products (See FR8008, June 2008.)
Composition of the New Authority
According to decree 2008-1273 published in the French Official
Journal on December 7, 2008, the new French authority was
charged with broadening the evaluation of biotechnology
approvals to include not only scientific criteria but social and
economic criteria as well. To accomplish this, the authority
will be comprised of two subcommittees: one tasked with
scientific analysis and the other with economic, ethical and
social implications of
biotechnology.
The scientific subcommittee will have no more than 40 members,
including at least: 3 specialists in genetics; 3 specialists in
microbiology; 10 specialists in human and animal health
protection; 3 specialists in agronomy; 1 specialist in
statistics; 3 specialists in environmental sciences; 1 lawyer; 1
economist; and 1 sociologist.
The economic, ethical and social subcommittee will have 26
members and consist of: 1 representative from the National
Ethics Consultative Committee; 3 representatives from
environmental protection organizations; 2 representatives from
consumer organizations, 1 representative from the High Committee
on Public Health; 1 representative from the hospital or public
health sector; 5 representatives from farmer organizations; 1
representative from a food industry organization; 1
representative from a pharmaceutical industry organization; 1
representative from a seed industry organization; 2
representatives from biotech company employee organizations; 1
representative from the French mayor’s organization; 1
representative from the French administrative department
organization; 1 representative from the French administrative
region organization; 1 Parliamentarian from the Parliament’s
Science and Technology Office; 1 lawyer; 1 economist; and 1
sociologist.
In December, the French Prime Minister’s office made a public
call for nominations to the Committee. To date, the Presidency
of the High Biotech Committee remains vacant. Reportedly,
several potential candidates have indicated that they did not
want to be considered for the post. Recently, the Government’s
announced candidate was rejected by the Economic committees of
the National Assembly and the Senate, an indication of the
position’s sensitivity. Members will serve five-year terms and
will be nominated by decree published in the French Official
Journal.
Working Group on Biotech and Non-Biotech Coexistence
Despite the fact that the Ministries of Agriculture and
Environment have administrative authority to adopt coexistence
measures, it decided to establish a working group to propose
measures for consideration to the High Biotech Committee. (This
decision was reportedly made after figures on cropping distances
appeared in the press and stakeholders demanded input.) The
working group composition is to be based on the model of the
2007 national environmental consultation (see FR7031, October
2007) which subsequently led to the 2008
freeze on MON810 cultivation in France. The composition of the
group mirrors the range of parties interested in biotech
cultivation and will include scientific researchers, farmer
representatives, environmental NGOs, the agri-food industry and
local authorities. The working group is expected to meet in
February 2009 but further details are not currently available.
Implications of the New Authority for Biotechnology in France
Given the anticipated heavy workload of the Committee and the
diversity of its membership, the decision making process is
expected to be cumbersome. Moreover, the composition of the
Committee and the working group on coexistence all but ensure a
political outcome. Thus, expectations for the approval of GE
crop cultivation and research approval are low. Implementation
of the biotech bill and creation of a new committee are not
expected to result in a removal of the 2008 ban on MON810
cultivation. Resumption of commercial
production of GE crop s is not expected before 2010. The
viability of any future commercial production will be heavily
influenced by the biotech crop coexistence measures adopted by
the French Government on the basis of recommendations made by
the High Biotech Committee. |
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