Biotech Updates

CIRAD-INRA Joint Ethics Committee Second Statement on Biofuels

June 18, 2010

The second statement by the CIRAD-INRA common advisory committee for ethics in agricultural research was issued on 19 March 2010. It covers the food challenge and that of non-food use of agricultural products, and more particularly the case of liquid biofuels. According to the committee, the ethical issues regarding the food and non-food use of agricultural products needs an in-depth thinking of the aims of research. It also recommends that INRA and CIRAD should monitor the ethics behind the research on biofuels, working methods and the relations between research and agricultural policy. It also proposes that the two establishments work to develop impact assessment methodologies specific to biofuels.

The news article and links to the French version of the Document is accessible at http://www.cirad.fr/en/news/all-news-items/articles/2010/institutionnel/2nd-cirad-inra-ethics-committee-statement-on-biofuels