WG4.  Socio-economic Issues

Objectives: to collate and provide analyses and information on the social and economic impacts of GMP RNAi.

Tasks:

      1. Review the social and economic impacts of GMP RNAi.

2. Case studies: Perform cost benefit analyses of some existing and future crop RNAi systems to demonstrate benefits to producers and consumers as well as economic costs and social impacts including environmental benefits and costs. The study will include stone fruits resistance to viruses, produced by combining a genetically modified rootstock expressing antiviral hp constructs and a grafted not genetically modified (GM) cultivar producing fruits that are non-GM.

3. Compare the approval costs of RNAi products with other genetically engineered products.

Deliverables:

i) a data-base of socio-economic studies on RNAi products.

ii) a teaching module for socio-economic assessments of RNAi technologies.

iii) Reports and communication of results to stakeholders at workshops and in training programmes.

iv) A Review of the social and economic impacts of GMP RNAi, including a cost benefit analyses of some commercialised RNAi systems.