A parliamentary committee debate over a proposal that would require a pre-approval market damage assessment for new genetically modified varieties is already damaging the biotech sector, says a prominent prairie researcher.Wilf Keller, president of Genome Prairie and retired senior genetics researcher with Agriculture Canada and the National Research Council in Saskatoon, said Oct. 5 the mere fact that a private member’s bill suggesting that proposed new GM varieties be subjected to a market harm assessment is bad news for the industry.He told MPs at the House of Commons agriculture committee debating bill C-474 proposed by New Democrat Alex Atamanenko that leaders of small and medium-sized research and development companies in the biotechnology field are worried about that the bill has been approved in principle and is now subject to Parliament Hill hearings.”The CEOs and presidents of those companies that I’ve talked to about this have expressed concern that this debate is happening because it really reflects on investments made in these emerging enterprises that could be the basis of new, innovative products,” he told MPs.And that could have a cascading effect on funding to public laboratories that depend on private funding partners.”At both the level of managers and public labs and executives in small and medium enterprises, I see some concern right now.”Keller was responding to a question from Ontario Conservative MP Pierre Lemieux who said he objects to Atamanenko’s bill reaching the stage of parliamentary hearings because it spooks markets that do not want to see “subjective” economic analysis of potential market loss mixed in with “objective” scientific analysis of traits, efficacy and safety.Legislation doesn’t just have an impact when it is enacted, said Lemieux. The market reacts to the possibility of change.”My feeling is there is a very real impact that’s being felt just by this being on the table,” said the MP. “What I mean by that is it sows uncertainty into the research and development part of agriculture.”Conservatives say they don’t mind studying the economic risks of GM varieties on Canadian exports but they don’t want it in the form of legislation.While the Liberals voted in principle to send the bill to committee for study, they likely will vote to kill the bill when public hearings end in late October or early November.
Debate over proposed bill already damaging biotech sector says former researcher
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