Evolution of the Regulatory System for GM Crops in Brazil - Governing Risk in GM Agriculture - page 126

Safety is not one of the main purposes of the new law, but encourage-
ment of innovation and economic development is. Thus, the law creates
the National Biosafety Commission (CNBS) for formulating and imple-
menting a National Biosafety Policy to expand the use of biotechnol-
ogy in production of crops. 21 Additional emphasis on economic benefit
is provided by Decree n. 6.041, which empowers a CNBS and assigns the
Minister of Development, Industry, and Foreign Trade to lead the Com-
mittee to qualify for funding of biotechnology research in Brazil over the
next ten years.
CTNBio, on the other hand, is continued as the regulatory author-
ity responsible for the approval of GM crops. CTNBio, which is part of
the federal Department of Science and Technology, is now comprised
of twenty-seven experts from different fields (biosafety, biotechnology,
biology, human and animal health, and the environment). 22 Finally, it
should be noted that more than three hundred biotechnical corporations
in Brazil are carrying out research activities on applications of biotech-
nology to human health (diagnostics, pharmaceuticals, and vaccines) as
well as agriculture. Thus, there is little doubt that Brazil has decided to
promote the advancing of biotechnology in the medical and agricultural
domains for purposes of economic gain and treats safety as a secondary
matter.
III. Mediaand Social RepresentationsofGMCrops
Some authors assert that GM crops mark the beginning of “the subpoliti-
zation of politics” 23 or even “the coming of age of public participation.” 24
In many countries, mainly in the European Union, consumers are still
worried by the BSE 25 experience and do not trust institutional control of
21 Article 8 of Statute n. 11105/2005.
22 Article 5 of Decreto n. 6041/2007.
23 Beck, U. World Risk Society. Cambridge: Polity Press, 1999.
24 Einsiedel, E. & Kamara, W. The Coming of Age of Public Participation. In: G. Gaskel
& M. Bauer (Eds.), Genomics and Society: Legal, Ethical, and Social Dimensions
(95-112). Londres: Earthscan, 2006.
25 Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy.