Interpreting Precision Breeding: Key Legal Concepts Under International Law and Current Domestic Regulatory Approaches in the Global South

Abstract

In various countries, especially in the Global South, there is legal uncertainty about which products or organisms derived from precision breeding, also called new breeding technologies, are subject to biosafety regulation. It is not clear whether which precision breeding products are classified as Living Modified Organisms (LMOs), or Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs), and therefore be subject to regulatory oversight under biosafety laws.This section, under Chap. 3 of Policies and Regulations, provides an overview of key definitions under international and national legislation to clarify the regulatory status of precision breeding products. This is done by assessing provisions under international biosafety law and national legislation in selected countries in the Global South. The outcome of this section is to provide a baseline for further discussion about the regulatory status of precision breeding globally.First, the background is presented, covering the development of international and national legal frameworks governing biosafety of LMOs and GMOs. Second, the legal definition of LMO and related terms under international law is discussed. Third, the GMO definition of national law in selected jurisdictions is presented. Fourth, a snapshot of the emergence of regulations governing precision breeding in the Global South is analyzed. Finally, key future perspectives to the regulatory status of precision breeding products are suggested.