How should agricultural genetically modified technology be scientifically understood and used?
Recently, Vice Minister of Agriculture Zhang Taolin was invited to the Central Party School and the National Academy of Governance to give a special report titled "Scientifically Understanding and Using Agricultural Genetically Modified Technology," providing a comprehensive briefing on 7 aspects, including the scientific principles of GM technology, the global research and application status of agricultural GMOs, China's agricultural GMO safety management, development strategy and key tasks.
Zhang Taolin explained in depth the principles of GM technology and its relationship with traditional animal and plant breeding, systematically introduced the global frontiers and latest advances in agricultural GM technology, analyzed and compared the cultivation of GM crops, consumption of GM products and international trade in typical countries and regions such as the United States, the European Union and South America, and comprehensively introduced China's agricultural GM research and application status.
In response to the safety issues of common concern, Zhang Taolin explained in detail the globally accepted principles, standards, framework and content of biosafety risk assessment for GMOs, comprehensively reviewed the global application practices of agricultural GMOs over the past 20 years, and objectively introduced the results of special research and assessments on GMO safety carried out by international organizations and authoritative institutions such as the World Health Organization, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, the European Commission, the U.S. National Academy of Sciences, National Academy of Engineering and National Academy of Medicine, and the Royal Society of the United Kingdom.
Focusing on GMO safety management, Zhang Taolin gave a complete introduction to domestic and international management norms, generally followed practices and distinctive approaches for GMO safety from the aspects of laws and regulations, technical methods and management systems, and highlighted comparisons of management systems such as GMO biosafety assessment and labeling systems in the United States, the European Union and China. At the same time, the report objectively analyzed the challenges China's GMOs face in technology, environment, supervision and other aspects, and explained China's future agricultural GMO development strategy and key tasks.
Trainees generally reported that the report was high-level and broad in vision, comprehensive and objective, detailed in data, and explained profound things in simple terms and easy to understand, professionally and rigorously responding to issues of widespread concern. This was both a briefing on China's agricultural GMO policy and a popular science lecture on agricultural GM technology, and was very enlightening for everyone to scientifically understand and rationally treat agricultural GM technology. Zhang Taolin also interacted and exchanged views with trainees on issues such as GM food safety and GMO science popularization.
More than 1,300 people attended the report meeting, including participants in various training classes such as the provincial and ministerial-level and department and bureau-level cadre training classes of the Central Party School, and the principal position training class for department and bureau-level civil servants of the National Academy of Governance.