If the Russian government fails to introduce legislation on genetic engineering soon, “in two or three years it will be too late — the state will not be able to control the safety of newly produced food and medicines”. That was the warning given last month by Rem Petrov, the Russian Academy of Sciences vice-president for biological sciences.

Petrov was speaking at a symposium on assessing the safety of genetically modified crop plants and novel foods on the Russian market. The meeting was organized by the academy and the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization.

Amirkhan Amirkhanov, deputy chairman of the state committee on the protection of the environment, said that the rapidly growing number of small private companies experimenting with plant, animal and even human genes increased the need to introduce regulations as rapidly as possible. But a major obstacle was in persuading officials of the need for action.

Perhaps significantly, the strongest voice heard at the meeting in favour of the tight regulation of genetic engineering represented neither researchers nor the government, but private industry.

Yuri Kalinin, general director of the Biopreparat company, which makes more than 40 per cent of Russia's biotechnology products, said his enthusiasm for regulation was based on the difficulties he had experienced with foreign partners. Their goods and biological components were required to pass various examinations but, even though they had received international or national safety certificates, these were not valid in Russia owing to lack of legislation.

Konstantin Skryabin, director of the academy's Bioengineering Centre, which hosted the meeting, said that some of the laws sought by the scientists and businessmen have already passed through the State Duma, the lower chamber of the Russian parliament.