The potential benefits, risks and costs of genetic use restriction technologies

Genetic use restriction technologies (GURTs) are designed to restrict access to genetic materials and their associated phenotypic traits. Originally GURTs were developed to ensure that new crop varieties could be protected against unauthorized use, but recently there has been interest in the use of GURTs to facilitate novel trait confinement. There is controversy over the potential use of GURTs in food and feed plant varieties. Considerable discourse exists amongst many groups representing both public and private, and government and non-government interests, about whether GURTs should be adopted based on the potential benefits versus the potential risks and costs. Potential benefits include intellectual property rights protection, stimulation of private crop breeding research and development, enhancement of genetic diversity in breeding programs, and novel trait confinement. Potential risks and costs associated with GURTs include intra- and interspecific escape of the technology, reduced access and increased cost of genetic material for breeders, increased regulation, liability risks in the event of GURT failure or escape, increased seed costs for farmers, further limits on access to novel genetic material for farmers, greater industrial control over agriculture, and a further decrease in agro-biodiversity. Although topical and controversial, the potential benefits versus the potential risks and costs of implementing GURTs are difficult to adequately assess because they are in the developmental stage and there has been no known field-based testing to-date. Until the results of peer-reviewed research on the environmental, social, economic and political impacts of GURTs are publicly available, no fair and useful assessment for the commercial release of the technology can occur.