Biotechnology has come to play an increasingly important part in everyday life, as scientific advances dramatically impact on an ever-expanding range of products. Scientific development has nevertheless resulted in widespread concern over safety, ethical, environmental and legal issues. Legislators, NG0s, lobbyists, business corporations and their advisers are faced with increasingly complicated and sometimes overlapping regulations impacting on biotechnological activities in the EU.
The EU regulation of genetically modified organisms, novel foods, novel feeds and novel seeds creates a complex web of applicable law. EU initiatives on product liability, product safety, the precautionary principle and environmental liability establish new rights and obligations requiring legislative, commercial and political change. In each of these areas, the EU seeks to regulate products against the wider background of common international obligations under the Biosafety Protocol, the OECD and the WTO.
EU Biotechnology Law & Practice is a timely book which takes full account of the recent adoption of Directive 2001/18 and analyses pending initiatives on traceability and labelling of GM0s, novel food, novel feed and novel seed. It gives practical guidance to practitioners, regulatory officers, consultants, in-house lawyers and others involved with these contentious legal issues.
About the author:
Brian Sheridan is a Barrister practising in the field of life sciences. His practice focuses on the regulatory and policy framework of the EU in the biotechnology sector, including horizontal trade and environment aspects of commercial exploitation of biotechnology products. He is also the author of many articles on national and EU regimes for novel foods and GM0s.