Korea APEC Workshop on Agricultural Biotechnology Transparency & Safety
Developing transparent and science-based approaches to the regulation of the newest products of agricultural biotechnology research is one of the key tasks before an APEC Agricultural Biotechnology workshop next week in Seoul, Korea.
The workshop will address a range of agricultural science issues including measures to strengthen the capacity of developing economies to employ the safe use of new agricultural biotechnology.
Chair of the meeting, Dr. Je-Kyu Kim, from Korea's Rural Development Administration said breakthroughs in the field of agricultural biotechnology can deliver enormous benefits so long as the industry is responsibly managed.
"Advances in biotechnology have the capability of increasing the amount and efficiency of food production," Dr. Kim said.
"However, the issues surrounding Biotechnology can be both complex and controversial. Considerable planning, transparency, and communication are required to establish the necessary regulatory foundations for the responsible management of all aspects of this industry.
"This workshop in Seoul will bring together biotechnology scientists, government officers and private sector representatives who are working together to make the agricultural biotechnology industry productive and safe.
"At the workshop delegates will have the opportunity to share their economy's experiences in developing the agricultural biotechnology industry and develop solutions to meet challenges of the future.
"Seoul is a wise choice for hosting this meeting on managing agricultural biotechnology advances considering high priority Korea has placed on the industry in recent years."
Scheduled to take place on the 8th to the 17th of November, the Eighth APEC Workshop on Agricultural Biotechnology is being organized by the APEC Sub-Group on Research, Development and Extension of Agricultural Biotechnology (RDEAB).
In the first session, from November 8 to 12, Member Economies will provide a status report on their biotechnology sectors. These briefings will explain the methods their economy has employed and their experiences with various aspects of the industry. Participants will also learn from expert speakers on biotechnology regulation and emerging issues related to it.
The second session, from November 15 to 17, will consist of a hands-on training exercise for regulators in APEC economies to build their industry capacity. All the economies will work together on selected environmental and food safety assessments.
APEC Ministers have assigned the RDEAB with the task of exchanging information on realizing the potential benefits of biotechnology advances while taking into account food safety and environmental quality.