Genetic food dispute political scientist

The dispute about introducing genetically modified food to Europe continues not because of its safety but because science has become embroiled in politics, a Dublin conference on biotechnology has been told.

With up to 30 million acres of commercial genetically modified (GM) crops planted globally in 1997 - and not a single acre in the EU - it was clear "public acceptance is a problem" in Europe, according to British biotechnologist Dr Nigel Poole, of Zeneca Plant Science.

The honorary professor of microbiology at the University of Aberdeen said Europe had a "very good science-based risk-assessment system" applying to environmental impact and consumption of a food product.

The difficulty with genetically modified foods came down to a disastrous failure to separate science and politics, and to the emotive issues of presentation and public acceptance. "Even if you get regulatory approval you have not got a product. You have to get somebody to buy it, to eat it."

Dr Poole told the Royal Irish Academy conference on the efficacy and safety of biotechnology products that GM plants "have demonstrated that they offer real benefits to the agri-food chain and have also cleared the hurdles of regulation and farmer acceptance".

He was convinced, notwithstanding current controversy, that biotechnology would be "one of the most important driving factors in EU agriculture over the next 30 years."

He did not believe that Europeans were anti-biotechnology. The development of GM tomato puree in the US, and its high level of acceptance achieved in British supermarkets, proved his point. With Sainsbury and Safeway, GM tomato puree was now outselling its unmodified version by two to one.

The product was labelled as being modified, though at the time this was not legally required. Moreover, the label told consumers of the claimed benefits of using GM tomatoes - "less waste and reduced energy in processing".

Setting aside "myth, hype and misconception", GM crops were important because of their ability to resist herbicides, stop disease - which can cause up to 40 per cent crop loss - and generate "quality traits". Many more beneficial attributes would soon be possible, in particular conferring resistance to disease and enhancement of quality/yield.