Table of Contents

  • Genetically engineered crops (also known as transgenic crops) such as maize, soybean, rapeseed and cotton have been approved for commercial use in an increasing number of countries. During the period from 1996 to 2005, for example, there was more than fifty-fold increase in the area grown with transgenic crops worldwide, reaching 90 million hectares in 2005.1 Such approvals usually follow a science-based risk/safety assessment.

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    OECD’s Working Group comprises delegates from the 30 Member countries of OECD and the European Commission. Typically, delegates are from those government ministries and agencies, which have responsibility for the environmental risk/safety assessment of products of modern biotechnology. The Working Group also includes a number of observer delegations and invited experts who participate in its work. They include: Argentina; Russia; Slovenia; the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP); the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity (SCBD); the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO); and the Business and Industry Advisory Committee to OECD (BIAC).