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Biosafety
The Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety is a supplementary agreement to the Convention on Biological Diversity. The Article 19 of the Convention provides an opportunity to setting out appropriate procedures for safe transfer, handling and use of any living modified organism (GMO).
Due to wide public interest in biotechnological safety the development of draft Protocol was initiated in 1995. At first an ad hoc working group was established, consisting of the representatives of different countries. Negotiations lasted for years. According to the plan the Protocol should have been completed within the negotiations held in Cartagena, Columbia in 1999 (hence the name of the Protocol - Cartagena Protocol), but despite the efforts of many countries, the agreement was not achieved. The resumed session took place in Montreal, Canada, in January 2000 and the Protocol was adopted in 29 January 2000. Estonia signed the Protocol in September 2000, followed by ratification on 22 June 2004.
Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety is an international agreement with general objective to ensure safe use of genetically modified living organisms (organisms whose gene factors have been altered by means of biotechnology), especially in the field of cross-border transfer. Main goal of the Protocol is to ensure availability of information concerning GMOs on the market and verification of legal import of GMOs in a country.
In Estonia the regulation of use of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) is divided between the Ministry of the Environment, the Ministry of Agriculture and the Ministry of Social Affairs.
The Ministry of the Environment is responsible for introduction of genetically modified organisms in environment and issue of permits to market genetically modified organisms or components or products thereof.
The Ministry of Agriculture is responsible for issuing permits for handling and marketing novel food (including genetically modified food), permits for seeds and vegetative propagating material, fertilisers, feedstuffs and permits for conducting animal testing.
The Ministry of Social Affairs is responsible for issuing permits for using genetically modified micro organisms in closed environment.
There are two more advisory commissions in Estonia. They perform risk analyses on genetically modified organisms and the components or products thereof. The first commission is the Commission for Gene Technology at the Ministry of the Environment and the second one is the Advisory Committee of Novel Foods at the Ministry of Agriculture. The latter also performs risk analyses of products received from, but not containing genetically modified organisms.
The function of the Commission for Gene Technology is to provide consultations to governmental authorities in the issues of gene technology such as:
1. release into the environment of GMOs (including genetically modified novel food, genetically modified seeds, fertilisers and feedingstuffs);
2. placing on the market of GMOs in or as products (including genetically modified novel food, genetically modified seeds, fertilisers and feedingstuffs),
3. conduct of animal experiment involving genetically modified animals,
4. contained use of genetically modified micro-organisms.
The function of the Advisory Committee on Novel Foods is to submit Veterinary and Food Board an application for permit for the handling of novel foods and, based on information and documentation attached to the application, provide opinion on the compliance of novel foods, propositions concerning labelling of novel foods and issue or refusal to issue permit for the handling of novel foods.
Webpage of the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety
"Text of the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety"
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