The US multinational Monsanto has admitted it has been confronted by widespread consumer scepticism relating to biotechnology, and genetically modified foods in particular, throughout Europe.
Its difficulties had been compounded by a EU regulatory system "mired in disagreement and decisional gridlock", according to Monsanto Europe's senior director, Dr Carlos Joly.
He told a biotechnology conference in Brussels that "scientific evidence was being held hostage to political ambivalence", and the gap was filled by the ad-hoc actions of pressure groups which acted within and outside the law. "This creates a dilemma of governance and leads observers to ask: who governs, in reality, the introduction of biotechnology?"
The first dilemma, however, was why gene technology, which had such great potential for social and environmental good, had met such widespread scepticism among European consumers and environmentalists, Dr Joly said. Among the complex factors contributing to this was the speed of change in contemporary society; issues of choice and control, and the cultural role of food.
Speaking at the European Biotechnology Forum: Public Perception and Public Policy, Dr Joly insisted biotechnology was underpinned by principles of sustainable agriculture, ethics, scientific evidence and a precautionary approach.
He criticised the political and regulatory situation in the EU. "It is safe to say the EU 90/220 Directive and Novel Food Directive and the bureaucracies empowered to implement these directives are neither precise enough, complete enough, nor equipped to handle the scope of issues and the speed of progress of biotechnology."
In the absence of an effective system and complete regulations, biotech and food industries had moved forward with voluntary controls, monitoring and labelling practices. "Industry makes genuine attempts to address problems pointed out by consumerist and environmental NGOs with pragmatic actions."
Biotechnology might well become a necessary solution to many resource and agricultural problems in the developing world, Dr Joly said, although tangible economic, ecological and social benefits were nonetheless questioned by activists.
Agricultural biotechnology had helped eco-efficiency in farming; improving crop yields and reducing costs, while at the same time significantly reducing herbicide use. Some 90 per cent of farmers who used Colorado beetle-resistant potatoes, Bt cotton and Round-Up Ready soya "are satisfied repeat buyers of biotech seeds".
Only through more open dialogue, participatory democracy and genuine collaborative action between business, government and NGOs would the biotechnology dilemma afflicting Europe have a chance of being resolved. "It would be imprudent, possibly unethical, and ultimately self-defeating if European society did not give this new technology a proper chance," Dr Joly said.
