This book addresses international trade and policy issues concerning agricultural biotechnology. The 16 chapters in this volume are edited and revised versions of papers presented at the 8th International Conference of the International Consortium on Agricultural Biotechnology Research, held in...

The regulatory systems in place prior to the development and expansion of agricultural biotechnology are still responding to this new form of technology. Such systems include trade law, intellectual property law, contract law, environmental regulations and biosafety regulations. This book reviews...

This book is based on papers presented at the 4th meeting of the International Consortium on Agricultural Biotechnology Research on the 'Economics of Agricultural Biotechnology'. A subset of those papers is included in this volume, which addresses market development issues in developed countries,...

Several characteristics of patents in the biotechnology field are explored, comparing and contrasting them to patents in other fields of research. The differences described may predict the direction and intensity of future of biotechnology patent applications. Particular reference is made to the...

Following an introduction, sections cover: the protection of plant fluoride ; the new European directive on the protection of Biological invention; the release of genetically modified organisms in the European Union; and the future development of a European gene market.

This chapter addresses the impact of regulation on innovation as measured by the development of new products in the food industry. The EU and US regulatory environments are compared with respect to three innovative fields in the food industry: the use of genetic engineering for food production and...

This chapter raises issues associated with gene flow in the case of plant-made pharmaceuticals (PMPs). Following an overview of the importance of PMPs, recent developments in this field and the possible environmental concerns are discussed. Recent developments include: plants with engineered...

This chapter emphasizes direct trade in GM crops. It notes that two distinct groupings of countries are emerging in formulations of regulatory regimes for GM foods. One group is the EU 'club' where a combination of bans and restrictions on trade are being implemented. The second group is the North...

This paper discusses the issues, such as forest certification, related to international trade of transgenic wood and transgenic tree germplasm.

This chapter outlines the major international commercial policy issues pertaining to biotechnology, including genetically modified foods. It explains the sometimes complementary and sometimes conflicting roles of the World Trade Organization and other international institutions in dealing with...