EUWAB, Economics of Agricultural Biotechnology
This website has changed and moved to: ees.kuleuven.be/bioecon/
genetically engineered crops were introduced commercially. Most of this
green biotechnology is
developed and commercialised by a handful of vertically coordinated
“life science” firms. Enforcement of intellectual
property rights for biological innovations has been object of
discussion for a long time. Due to their market power, these firms are
able to extract a part of the total social welfare created. Ex post
welfare studies reveal that farmers and input suppliers are receiving
the largest part of the benefits. However, ex ante impact assessments were limited, certainly
for the European Union. Hence, in May 1999
the Centre for
and Food Economics at the
Universiteit Leuven founded the EUWAB-project (European
Union Welfare effects of Agricultural Biotechnology), assessing the
economic impact of agricultural biotechnology innovations in the EU and
their welfare distribution among Member States, producers, processors,consumers,
input suppliers, governments and the environment.
Ever since the project has been adressing the isue surroundig
green biotechnology in Europe and abroad. The research topic broadened
including coexistence of
different production systems, methodological issues of ex ante
assessments, invasive species,...
- On June 4th 2010 Koen Dillen defended his PhD titled,
Opportunities for Agricultural Biotechnology in the EU: Policies and
Novel Constraints.The presentation and the PhD can be downloaded on our publications website.
- The paper "The Western Corn Rootworm, a New Threat to European
Agriculture: Opportunities for Biotechnology?" is published in Pest Management Science and for download here.
discussion on the proportionality of coexistence measures inFood
Policy is now complete with the publication of our reply. Downloadable here.
the articles in Ecological Economics (64(4):683-689) and in the
Canadian Journal of Agricultural Economics (59(3):463-486) have been
selected by the Belgian Association of Agricultural Economists (BAAE)
for inclusion in the Commemorative Book highlighting the most valuable
scientific achievements in the association.