Spain: commercialization drives public debate and precaution

Since the commercialization of genetically modified (GM) crops and foods in Spain in 1996, these products have become a topic of public concern and conflict. Several important social protagonists from science, industry and civil society have become involved in the public debate. The conflicts have influenced the regulation, improving its precautionary content, in response to social pressures in Spain and elsewhere in Europe. As Spain has become the primary cultivator of GM crops in the European Union, commercial cultivation there has been scientifically monitored for possible long-term environmental effects. Regulators have also asked industry to cease using antibiotic-resistant marker genes (ARMs). The expert advisory body of the regulatory process, composed exclusively of scientific experts and members of the public administration, has become a de facto policy maker. This body takes an ambiguous precautionary stand in decisions about authorizing field trials as well as products. It recommends more studies on the environmental effects of GM crops, without necessarily claiming that these studies would be essential for decision making on authorizations. Thus the meaning of precaution is being established through regulatory practice, whereby the expert body shows sensitivity to the public debate and to NGO pressures.