REGULATING BIOSAFETY OF GENETICALLY MODIFIED CROPS IN INDONESIA: LIMITS AND CHALLENGES

Muhammad Bahrul Ulum

doi:10.32890/uumjls2021.12.1.7

Abstract

The global use of genetically modified (GM) crops is rapidly expanding. While the advent of this agricultural biotechnology offers new promises to cater to the rising demand for Indonesia’s food security, the government should ensure its safety. This paper examines the regulatory regime over biosafety in Indonesia by considering the global fragmentation of biosafety regulation that debates its impact on environmental and health aspects. After Indonesia ratified the Convention on Biological Diversity and the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety, which both specifically become the global guideline on how domestic biosafety policies are regulated, environmental and health issues are among the priorities which the use of GM crops contests to the precautionary approach. Amidst the insufficient scientific ground on its safety, GM crops' use is supposed to result in adverse impacts, and the suspicion over the safety of such a new cutting-edge agricultural technology ended with a series of rejections. This paper's results reveal that amongst the global contention over the regulatory regime on biosafety, which resulted in the bifurcation of the biosafety regulation, Indonesia has added to the new polarization. This polarization includes the release of GM crops certification, and Indonesia's desire to regulating biosafety deliberates over the definition and translation of biosafety in the domestic regulatory regime against the global regulatory diversity of biosafety.

Highlights

Most existing literature critically examined modern biotechnology through the appropriate regulatory regime of biosafety at the domestic level
The regulatory regime typically highlights the regulatory impact of bifurcation of the United States (US) and the European Union (EU) regarding the precautionary principle
This study argues that by establishing the regulatory framework for genetically modified (GM) crops’ assessment amidst the lack of scientific evidence to their safety, there are several options and challenges before reaching such a decision

Summary

INTRODUCTION

Most existing literature critically examined modern biotechnology through the appropriate regulatory regime of biosafety at the domestic level. The courts focused on the actual rather than the potential adverse impacts resulted from the cutting-edge biotechnology’s unknown risks, whereas environmental risk assessment could help to justify the possible unknown risks to the environment and health These situations show that the Indonesian government has started to implement the regulatory framework for adopting modern biotechnology. Regulation, the biosafety of genetic engineering mainly aims to protect environmental, food, and feed safety It optimises the production resulting from genetically modified organisms (GMOs) based on health principles, biological diversity, consumer protection, legal, and business certainty.. It optimises the production resulting from genetically modified organisms (GMOs) based on health principles, biological diversity, consumer protection, legal, and business certainty.14 To meet this aim, the regulation is classified into the types and requirements, research and development, importation, assessment, release, circulation, and utilisation of GMOs despite supervision. 18 Report of the Conference on Science and the Precautionary Principle, 2000

Defining the Precautionary Principle

Defining the Precautionary Principle in Indonesia

Findings

CONCLUSION