Seeds, food and trade wars: Public opinion and policy responses in the USA and Europe
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ords: World Trade Organization (WTO), public opinion, biotechnology, transatlantic Toby A. Ten Eyck Sociology Department, 316 Berkey Hall, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824–1111, USA Tel: +1 517 353 0874 Fax: +1 517 432 2856 E-mail: [email protected]
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Seeds, food and trade wars: Public opinion and policy responses in the USA and Europe Toby A. Ten Eyck, George Gaskell and Jonathan Jackson Date received (in revised form): 8th December, 2003
Abstract The political debate over genetically modified foods entered a new phase when the USA (under the Bush Administration) threatened legal actions within the World Trade Organization (WTO) against a moratorium of these products in the European Union. This paper focuses on developing a societal context in which these political disputes arose though an investigation of public opinion polls conducted in both the USA and Europe. While some differences do exist with regards to opinions toward biotechnology, any contention that the WTO case is a direct outcome of public opinion is tenuous. The special interest groups that have vested interests in supporting or opposing biotechnology are likely to be the ones fanning the transatlantic flames, and arguing that public opinion is in their favour.
INTRODUCTION Trade barriers have been an inevitable part of the relations between the USA and European countries, which may have begun even before the high-profile Boston Tea Party of 1773. While trade disputes are not normally of major concern for the wider public, barriers on food often lead to highly publicised conflicts. Recently, the USA imposed restrictions on the imports of European wines and cheeses in response to a European embargo on beef treated with growth-promoting hormones made with recombinant DNA. This led to protests in France, which included the partial dismantling of a McDonald’s restaurant, and served as a rallying point for the antiglobalisation movement. In the minds of at least some countries, food is in a different category from other traded products. It is part of national and regional identity; the imposition of novel foods that challenge deeply held cultural values is likely to be resisted. These factors have led to an increased polarisation within debates over US–EU trade in foods derived from
biotechnology. The US Government recently referred the European Union to the World Trade Organization (WTO), arguing that the de facto moratorium on genetically modified (GM) crops and food products is a trade barrier counter to the regulations concerning the trading of commercial goods . However, it is not only the governments that are divided over the safety, feasibility and need for food and agricultural biotechnology. Public opinion polls in the USA and EU highlight a gap between public perceptions in the two continents that have contributed to the WTO showdown. This paper aims to show where the differences in public perceptions are most evident, and to explore how these bear on government policies in the WTO case.
US AND EU SUPPORT FOR THREE APPLICAT
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