Who formulates the rules that govern biotechnology research and biotechnology products?
In Europe, national governments have established regulations covering safety, novel foods, environmental products, and patenting in biotechnology. Generally, these have to operate within parameters set by the European Union. Why do biotechnology companies make the news so often? They have to. Start up biotechnology companies may not sell products for between five and ten years. Instead, they sell bits of the company itself. Generating news about financial and business issues, and about research results is, therefore like advertising any product a vital part of getting attention and the right price. Why was herbicide resistance one of the first traits that plant genetic engineers conferred upon crop plants? When plant genetic engineering began in 1983, genes for herbicide resistance were available (they came from bacteria) whereas genes for disease resistance or drought-resistance were not. Furthermore, plants that acquired such genes could be readily identified, since herbicides did no
