The GMO Amendment Bill 2005 is probably one of the best GMO bills among the world. It is an update of the 1997 GMO Act, and it provides for the obligations to the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety.
Changes are noted in the composition of the Executive Council (amendment of Section 3 of the Act). This seems to be a significant improvement on the Bill.

The provisions in the Bill for South Africa’s commitments to the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety cause some concern, and seems to pose major burdens to research in South Africa :

• Research institutions will have to comply with regulations on the transboundary movement of GMO’s. Research institutions may encounter difficulties in adapting to the new requirements.
• Research on public goods and the 2^nd economy may be complicated due to the framework of liability: ARC Institutions are obviously not equipped or insured to take responsibility for the outcome of their research.
• International exchange of experimental GMO materials among scientists is complicated by the regulations, and may cause a burden on research activities.

The Bill provides for the governance of the regulations by government agencies, but no provision is made to support research institutions to comply with the new legislation.

The ARC will have to comply meticulously with all the regulations of the Bill. Financial resources should be provided to train researchers and technicians regarding the ARC’s obligations to the Bill and to build its infrastructure and working procedures in compliance with the new regulations.

It is important that the ARC register its GMO facilities at the office of the Registrar’s of the GMO Amendment Bill.