What Australian courts might say about 'damage' from cross-pollination by a GMO

Abstract

Debate continues to rage about the safety of genetically modified organisms. On one side genetic scientists in general argue that such organisms are no less safe than their primitive forbears that were created by plant cloning carried out by those involved in farming for many hundreds of years and that a conservative attitude to the introduction of the technology could reduce the otherwise significant gains in global welfare that would be obtained by its introduction.On the other side, conservationists fear that cross-pollination of non-GM crops and other plants will create the opportunity for significant and irreversible environmental and biodiversity damage. Underlying these debates is the fear by many in national agricultural industries that the failure to engage with the new technology will result in a competitive disadvantage in relation to those countries that actively engage in using gene technology to improve productivity and efficiency.