October 11, 2013
What is biotechnology? A uniformly accepted definition of “biotechnology”
does not exist. In broad terms, it is
the use of biological sciences to develop products, conventional plant and
animal breeding techniques, conducted since the beginning of civilization. In popular terminology, it refers to
newly-developed scientific methods used to create products by altering the
genetic makeup of organisms and producing unique individuals or traits not
easily obtained through conventional breeding. These are often referred to as genetically engineered,
transgenic, bioengineered, or genetically modified.
Biotechnology has been used to create many different
products impacting agriculture including herbicide resistant plants, tomatoes
that resist bruising, and vitamin enriched rice. The development of this technology has
presented novel legal issues as the law attempts to keep up with scientific
advancement.
The National Agricultural Law Center’s Biotechnology
Reading Room, available here,
has a variety of resources available including major statutes, regulations,
case law, Center publications, and reports from the Congressional Research
Service.
