This ad hoc publication is the outcome of an expert consultation on the above topic, held in Rome, 18–20 January 2005 and has two parts: one (31 pages) is a summary of the presentations and a set of recommendations (on a few pages only). There are more extended versions of the presentations in part 2. Jepson's article is a good, thoughtful, systematic presentation of the logic behind and the desirable elements of a monitoring programme. Other contributions are useful summaries of particular situations in different parts of the world. However, their lasting value is not assured, given the quick changes in this area.
My doubts about such an exercise stem from its short duration. Do the convenors of this consultation really believe that this complex topic can be usefully reviewed in three days, with lucid and meaningful recommendations emerging? All similar experience shows that it is doubtful. The international GMO-ERA (www.gmo-guidelines.org) project has had intense, one-week meetings, attended by 60–80 people, where emphasis was on group work and discussions, not presentations. After the meeting, the emerging books (e.g. Hilbeck et al., 2006Footnote 1) have required months of intensive work by a large number of contributors. The few pages presented in this slim volume cannot match the detail in those publications. Moreover, the production quality of this book is disappointing.
Its strength is that it emphasizes the importance of monitoring of GM crops in the field. If this leads to organizing at least a handful of monitoring programmes, it has served its purpose.
