Legal regulation of “green” agriculture in Russia: current state and prospects of development

Abstract

According to the Millennium Development Goals, approved by the UN in 2000, it is necessary to eradicate hunger in the 21st century, while solving the environmental problems that have accumulated over the past hundred years. The international community sees a way out in the development of a “green” economy, an integral part of which is agriculture. The current state of technology development enables the use of innovative methods of agricultural activities, including biotechnology. However, the consequences of their use for humans and the environment are completely unknown. Biotechnologies make it possible to obtain agricultural products with pre-defined characteristics, adapt their cultivation and production to unfavorable natural conditions, and increase labor productivity. But at the same time, the UN and FAO strategic planning documents note that produced agricultural products shall be safe for human health, and agricultural activities shall have a minimal impact on the environment. Therefore, the need for the formation and development of a model of “green” agriculture is justified at the international level. In Russia, attention is also paid to the production of products that are as safe as possible for both humans and the environment. At the same time, the current state of legal regulation of “green” agriculture does not allow us to speak about the formed effective model of legal regulation of the production of environmentally safe agricultural products. Legal problems and conflicts of the current legislation do not allow our country to take a competitive position in the international market of agricultural products. The purpose of this article is to provide a legal analysis of the current legislation and identify possible solutions to the legal problems of “green” agriculture, as well as to form a conceptual model of its legal regulation. Using the methods of comparative analysis, legal hermeneutics, and legal modeling, a legal analysis of the modern legal regulation of “green” agriculture is carried out and a conceptual model of its legal regulation is determined, based on which proposals for improving legislation in the considered sphere of public relations are formulated.