What is the biotechnology safety bill about?

Jun 02, 2015

As debate rages on about the proposed National Biotechnology Safety Bill, it is important that accurate information gets into the public domain.

trueBy Dennis Katungi

As debate rages on about the proposed National Biotechnology Safety Bill, it is important that accurate information gets into the public domain.

Much of what circulates on social media and elsewhere is mis-information and regurgitated false hoods thrown on the World Wide Web by those opposed to GMOs.

But the fact remains that people need to know the truth, both positive and negative so that they can objectively make up their minds whether to support or oppose the proposed Bill.

From what I gather generally, many people have not even read and internalised the proposed Bill.

This Bill is a proposed operational legal instrument for the Biotechnology and Biosafety Policy that was approved and adopted by the Government on April 8, 2008.  It is intended to provide a regulatory and institutional framework for the safety aspects of the Policy.

When passed, the Act of Parliament will provide for safe application of Biotechnology research, development, use, commercialisation including risk management in material and information handling, transportation, transfer and exchange plus any other matters incidental and connected thereto.

The Bill sets out to regulate the making, import, export, transit, contained use, confined use, release or placing on the market of any genetically modified organisms.  It is intended to facilitate responsible and ethical research and development in modern biotechnology.

The Act will also minimise and manage the risks to humans and the environment that may be posed by genetically modified organisms and related activities.

It will foster transparency and enhance knowledge-based processes for reviewing and making decisions on the transfer, handling and use of genetically modified organisms and related activities.

The Bill has administrative provisions to establish the National Competent Authority for Biotechnology and Bio-safety committee and the National Focal Point.  This section also lays down the functional modalities of each of these bodies which will be set-up within existing institutions avoiding creating new separate entities. 

The Bill has a section on application for approvals for GM research and Commercialisation which lays down the procedures for research in the laboratories or greenhouses; confined field trials within restricted open areas; introduction of GM organisms into the open environment in farmers’ fields, importation of GMOs into Uganda for direct use as food or feed including processing, transiting, export or re-exporting GMOs via Uganda’s territory.

It will deal with packaging, identification and labeling including special cases such as emergency food aid.  This section gives the procedures by which such applications are handled by the appropriate regulatory agencies.  It lays out how decisions will be taken and how they can be appealed, revoked or reviewed as the case may be.

The Bill has a section on Risk Management Procedures and outlines risk assessment of GMOs following international guidelines such as Codex Alimentarius and Caragena Protocol on Biosafey to which Uganda is already a signatory.  It also gives the procedures for risk management including emergency resoponse measures in case of accidental release of unauthorised GMOs into the environment or food chains.

It mentions the critical element of public awareness and participation and lays out procedures for engagement and involvement during the risk assessment process as well as the procedures for solicitation of public input and access to information.

The Bill lays out procedures for inspections, monitoring and enforcement clearly identifying the institutions responsible for conducting such inspections of GMO establishments.

The Department of Crop Protection in the Ministry of Agriculture is identified as a lead Inspection agency and shall designate Biosafety inspectors dedicated to this work in addition to their current responsibilities of phytosanitary and quarantine inspection.

The Bill has a section on Restoration and Cessation Orders which gives the circumstances under which these would kick in.

For example, if there was unauthorised release of GMOs into the environment or failure to comply with regulation.

The relevant regulatory agency would move in to enforce compliance in case of any bleach caused or incurred.  It also outlines the contents of such orders and outlines offences and Penalties.

The Bill sets out international obligations with respect to handling trans-boundary movement of GMOs and lays out commitment to these obligations, conventions and treaties relevant to biotechnology and biosafety mentioned above.

It also has miscellaneous provisions on packaging and labeling of GMOs, development of regulations by the responsible minister to operationalise the provisions of the bill once enacted.

The writer works with Uganda Media Centre
 

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