Publication: O caminho da liberalização dos transgênicos no Brasil
Authors
Bianconi Fernandes, Gabriel ; Marinho Assunção, Wanessa
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Publisher
Murcia: Servicio de Publicaciones de la Universidad de Murcia
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DOI
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info:eu-repo/semantics/article
Description
Abstract
A introdução das plantas geneticamente modificadas na agricultura é produto do período
de globalização neoliberal. Seu processo decisório no Brasil responde mais aos interesses da in-
dústria do que aos do meio ambiente e da saúde pública. A Organização Mundial do Comércio
definiu em meados dos anos 1990 padrões globais de proteção de propriedade intelectual vincu-
lantes a todos países membros, que no Brasil deu origem a uma lei de patentes reconhecendo o
direito de proteção de inovações biotecnológicas. No mesmo período, o país também promulgou
uma lei de cultivares, garantindo o direito dos melhoristas, e uma legislação de biossegurança
estabelecendo licenciamento ambiental para organismos transgênicos. A indústria, no entanto,
preferia o modelo norte-americano de desregulamentação, à época já implantado na Argenti-
na. A soja transgênica cultivada no país vizinho passou a ser trazida ilegalmente para o Brasil e
amplamente cultivada na região Sul – na ausência de controle por parte do Estado. Em 2003, ao
assumir seu primeiro mandato de presidente da República, Lula deparou-se com essa situação de
fato consumado e, para surpresa dos setores sociais que o apoiaram, paulatinamente oficializou
os plantios ilegais de soja transgênica. Os parlamentares da chamada bancada ruralista, histori-
camente opositores de Lula, pressionaram por uma legislação de biossegurança mais liberali-
zante. O caminho adotado foi revogar a lei anterior criando uma comissão de especialistas com
poderes não só deliberativos mas também normativos. Os exemplos da definição de regras de
coexistência para o milho e da liberação comercial do feijão são apresentados para ilustrar o viés
pró-transgênicos da comissão.
The introduction of genetically modified seeds in agriculture is product of the neoliberal glo- balization period. In Brazil, its decision making process responded more to industry interests than to those of public health or environment. The World Trade Organization determined in the middle of the nineties global intellectual property patterns with biding effects to all its parties. This gave rise in Brazil to a patent law recognizing the right to the protection of biotechnological innovations. In the same period, the country also passed a plant variety protection act, assuring plant breeders’ rights, and a biosafety act stablishing environmental licensing for transgenics or- ganisms. The industry, however, preferred the US deregulation model, at the time already imple- mented in Argentina. As the state failure to control its borders, the transgenic soy cultivated in the neighbor country was smuggled to Brazil and largely sown in the Southern part of the country. In 2003, just elected to its first mandate as president of the republic, Lula faced this fait accompli situation but for the surprise of the social sector that supported him, he officialized the illegal growings. The sector of rural conservative parliamentarians, historically opposed to Lula, pushed for a more liberalizing biosafety legislation. The way adopted was to revoke the former biosafety act creating instead a commission of experts with wide powers, both normative and deliberative. Examples of rules definition for maize coexistence and the common bean commercial release are presented to illustrate the commission pro-transgenic bias.
The introduction of genetically modified seeds in agriculture is product of the neoliberal glo- balization period. In Brazil, its decision making process responded more to industry interests than to those of public health or environment. The World Trade Organization determined in the middle of the nineties global intellectual property patterns with biding effects to all its parties. This gave rise in Brazil to a patent law recognizing the right to the protection of biotechnological innovations. In the same period, the country also passed a plant variety protection act, assuring plant breeders’ rights, and a biosafety act stablishing environmental licensing for transgenics or- ganisms. The industry, however, preferred the US deregulation model, at the time already imple- mented in Argentina. As the state failure to control its borders, the transgenic soy cultivated in the neighbor country was smuggled to Brazil and largely sown in the Southern part of the country. In 2003, just elected to its first mandate as president of the republic, Lula faced this fait accompli situation but for the surprise of the social sector that supported him, he officialized the illegal growings. The sector of rural conservative parliamentarians, historically opposed to Lula, pushed for a more liberalizing biosafety legislation. The way adopted was to revoke the former biosafety act creating instead a commission of experts with wide powers, both normative and deliberative. Examples of rules definition for maize coexistence and the common bean commercial release are presented to illustrate the commission pro-transgenic bias.
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Citation
Agroecología, vol. 12, nº 2 (2018)
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