THE National Biosafety Coordinating Committee met last week to discuss St. Lucia’s national biosafety framework which will be implemented to regulate the use of genetically modified organisms (GMO) for the safety of all St. Lucians.
The committee is made up of representatives of the ministries of Sustainable Development, Agriculture, Finance, Commerce and Health, St. Lucia Bureau of Standards, the National Consumers Association, CARDI,the Saint Lucia National Trust, the Christian Council, the Muslim Brotherhood, ICAR, the Bar Association and Sir Arthur Lewis Community College.
The committee met to decide on the roles and responsibilities of competent national authorities in biosafety management and finalize the draft Biosafety bill to be presented to the Cabinet by June 2015.
Implementation of the biosafety framework commenced in 2012 and St. Lucians are encouraged to participate in the process by contacting the Ministry of Sustainable Development and Environment at telephone 468-5800 or the website lc.biosafetyclearinghouse.net.