No one really knows the possible ramifications, and that is the problem facing hundreds of government ministers, environmentalists and other delegates converging on Montreal to try to agree on regulating trade of genetically engineered plants and animals. The Montreal meeting from Jan. 24-28 is sponsored by the U.N. Environmental Program and is an extension of failed talks 11 months earlier in Cartagena, Colombia, on what is called the Biosafety Protocol. The Cartagena meeting collapsed when the United States, Canada, Australia, Uruguay, Argentina and Chile blocked a draft accepted by 125 other countries. Environmental groups and developing nations accused the United States of protecting its large and growing biotechnology industry by undermining a compromise agreement brokered by the European Union. Distrustful of the powerful U.S. industry's motives, they say the unchecked tampering with nature inherent in gene-splicing has the potential for environmental catastrophe.
Proponents say such arguments ignore the promise and benefits to humanity of scientific advancement.
The true potential of this new technology is in eliminating famine with higher-yield, more resilient crops, they argue. Biotech products bring higher yields than traditionally crossbred hybrids and require fewer chemical insecticides and herbicides. But many Europeans distrust genetically engineered products. Austria and Luxembourg have banned certain biotech crops and regulations are widespread mandating the labeling of biogenetic food products for consumers. U.S. officials and industry proponents tend to regard the European opposition as a way to restrict U.S. imports under the guise of health worries.