Biotech and Precautionary Principle

Charles Benbrook (benbrook@hillnet.com)
Fri, 17 Sep 1999 14:09:59 -0700

Around the world people, organizations and governments are struggling to
develop a widely acceptable framework in which to evaluate
agricultural/food system applications of biotechnology. The Precautionary
Principle has emerged as one of the most visible alternatives to
conventional risk-benefit and cost-benefit based systems. Recent issues of
Nature have contained an important exchange of letters highlighting the
concerns of some re the Precautionary principle being "anti-science" and
the responses of others who feel otherwise. Access much information on the
Precautionary principle, including this exchange, on Ag BioTech InfoNet at:

http://www.biotech-info.net/policy.html#precautionary

The "Precautionary Principle in Action: A Handbook" is particular clear and
useful for those who have heard little about the PP.

I hope everyone interested in the financial prospects of the life sciences
companies that have invested heavily in ag biotechnology took time to
download and study the remarkable July 12, 1999 report by Deutsche Bank.
As noted in my earlier post, the Bank gave us permission to post the full
report in PDF format. I was sure there would be widespread interest in the
full report, despite the excerpts that had floated around the Internet over
the last 6 weeks.

I was right. In the first 4 days after posting, 1,919 copies of the
report were downloaded. Five of the ten host-servers visiting Ag BioTech
InfoNet most often during those 4 days were housed at ag chemical divisions
of life science corporations. Given the growing talk of divesture/mergers
of ag chemical divisions across the life sciences industry -- for a
provocative account, see the Sept. 17, 1999 issue of Chemical Week -- it is
understandable why so many people in ag chemical companies wanted to read
for themselves what Deutsche Bank had to say.

chuck

Charles Benbrook 208-263-5236 (voice)
Benbrook Consulting Services 208-263-7342 (fax)
5085 Upper Pack River Road benbrook@hillnet.com [e-mail]
Sandpoint, Idaho 83864 http://www.pmac.net

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