Release of genetically modified organisms: precautionary legislation

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Abstract
This paper analyses the debates surrounding the drafting and passage through the UK Parliament of the Environmental Protection Bill, Part VI, regarding the potential hazards arising from release of genetically modified organisms (GMOs). Both the previous voluntary and the current statutory systems have been precautionary (or proactive) in their approach to risk regulation. The EPA establishes a framework for guiding decisions on release; it has cultural implications for the public perception of GMOs as potential pollutants and for managing the tensions between a scientific and social legitimation of regulatory decisions. The government has left ambiguous the boundary between scientific advice and regulatory policy.