Regulating Biotechnology as though Gene Function Mattered.

Comments on an article by Jim Hancock that suggested a way to improve the process of assigning risk in genetically engineered crops by placing the emphasis on the transgenic trait, the crop host and the presence of wild relatives. Kinds of compartments that can be constructed to allow the breeding process to accelerate in the light of genomics knowledge and genetic engineering; Need for respect for natural selection; Importance of the scale of introduction to the determination of the probability of spread.