Brazil info- Economy: biotechnology

Brazil news : biotechnology

The biotechnology debate has captured public attention in Brazil with frequent negative reports in the press. Development of regulations for the biotechnology sector has been impeded by a 1998 court case that is still pending in a federal court in Brasilia. This case was filed by environmental non-governmental organizations (NGOs) against the use of Monsanto’s Roundup Ready soybean variety. The case addresses not only the requirement to conduct environmental impact studies on biotechnology products, but also the constitutional authority of the Government’s CTNBio commission to approve biotechnology products.

In the absence of a definitive court ruling on this case, President Lula made progress in 2003 towards a new legal framework for production and marketing of biotechnology soybean crops. Law 10,814, which was enacted on December 15, 2003, legalizes the planting and marketing of biotechnology soybean crops for the 2003/2004 harvest. On October 31, 2003, President Lula sent to Congress the long-awaited draft

of a Biosecurity Law that would provide a long-term regulatory regime for the biotechnology sector. The current text of the bill envisions a complicated mechanism for approval of biotechnology products by a national commission attached to the President’s office that would consider political and economic, as well as scientific, factors. It is likely that the bill will undergo substantial revision before passage, which was expected in April 2004.Brazil cheap hotels