Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
on the social organization of crop coexistence. Moreover, it appears that
coexisting measures and safety and quality practices are kept separately.
InterimConclusion
Despite some elements that are already envisioned in the field, a sys-
tematic hazard-mitigation response combining technological, physical,
organizational, and individual barriers on a par with what exists in other
high-risk industries has not been fully deployed. To appreciate this sit-
uation, one has to recall that most experts do not see the dissemination
issue in safety terms. The dissemination problem is rather presented as
a consequence of consumers' free choice, mainly in Europe. Therefore
buffers or rotation zones are not seen as a risk-mitigation measure to
contain/prevent/reduce the possible adverse effects of products, as their
interaction with the rest of the environment is yet to be understood.
These measures are only tolerated and promoted as a market require-
ment. This might explain why a comprehensive response has not yet
emerged. However, this attitude might change drastically in the context
of plant-made pharmaceutical development.
Conclusions: Propositions
The Standard Operations Procedures (SOPs) emerging in the context
of molecular farming could also be applicable to more traditional GM
cultivation. SOPs could constitute a first response to the growing public
demand for more systematic quality and safety traceability. This effort
could foster a keen interest in agricultural and agronomic practices and
a necessary consideration of organizational and human factors that have
been so far neglected throughout the process.
However, the march toward SOPs should not become an alibi and be
the sole response to safety and quality alarms. As the examples of other
industries have taught a vast community of experts, one can only achieve
