Can the WTO rule on biotechnology issues like genetically modified foods without experiencing “mission creep” and becoming a judge of scientific debates? Ross Korves, who says that three decisions released at the end of last month “are critical for the WTO in establishing a rules-based system for handling trade disputes on biotech crops,” suggests that the WTO pulled it off:

The WTO panel made clear in its ruling that it was not the panel’s task to determine whether biotech crops are generally safe or if they were “like” their conventional counterparts. They also did not consider whether the EU’s product-by-product procedures for considering the safety of biotech crops were appropriate or judge the conclusions reached by various EU scientific committees as part of the approval process. The panel did seek advice from six scientific experts who submitted hundreds of pages of materials and spent two days with the panel and representatives of the two sides.

The WTO is not a standards setting body for biotech crops or any other products. That is left to groups like Codex. It also does not try to second guess the fine points of science and risk assessment. It focuses on how member countries follow the rules as set out in WTO agreements.

As trade talks increasingly concern non-tariff barriers, it’s important that the WTO be able to address their abuse without becoming a global regulatory agency. Korves’ article suggests that it is successfully doing so.