A European Commission survey has indicated that while most Europeans are in favour of medical applications of biotechnology, they are still sceptical about agricultural and food-related biotech.
This, the survey indicates, combined with an uncertain legal situation and doubts on future commercial markets, is leading to a sharp decrease in biotech research in Europe.
"Europeans and biotechnology 2002"reveals that 44 per cent of those polled believe that biotechnology will improve their quality of life, compared to 17 per cent who do not, with 25 per cent undecided. But there is a lack of support for agricultural and food applications, contrasting with a strong backing for medical uses.
According to the EC, this is seriously slowing down biotech R&D in the EU, particularly in the private sector, and may put at risk Europe's competitiveness in a promising sector of new technologies.
According to another EU study on scientific and technological developments in GM plants, the number of genetically modified organisms (GMO) field trial applications in the EU has dropped by 76 per cent since 1998. GMO research has also been seriously undermined. Some 39 per cent of the respondents have cancelled R&D projects on GMOs over the last four years. This share is higher for the private sector alone: 61 per cent of respondents have stopped projects in this field.
"People in Europe are becoming increasingly aware of biotechnology applications and their benefits", said European Research Commissioner Philippe Busquin. "We must continue to champion a rational and informed debate on biotechnology so that Europeans are able to make informed decisions. Without sound scientific evidence, the debate will always be distorted. There is a perceived lack of scientific and other information, and the increasingly sceptic climate is scaring European biotech companies and research centres away. If we do not reverse the trend now, we will be unable to reap the benefits of the life science revolution and become dependent on technologies developed elsewhere. Now that strict EU legislation in this field is finally in place, there is no ground for unjustified fears and prejudice."
The Eurobarometer survey on biotechnology and the life sciences is the fifth in just over ten years. The survey is based on a representative sample of 16,500 respondents, approximately 1000 in each EU member state. The European Commission has emphasised the need for "societal scrutiny and dialogue" in the Communication on "Life Sciences and Biotechnology - A Strategy for Europe" in 2002, and in the recent progress report.
When asked whether biotechnology would improve our way of life or not, 44 per cent of European citizens were optimistic, 17 per cent pessimistic and 25 per cent said they did not know. This is about the same percentage as in 1999. After a decade of continuously declining optimism in biotechnology, the trend has reversed in this latest survey. In the period 1999-2002, optimism has increased to the level seen in the early 1990s. This rise in optimism holds for all the EU Member States with the exception of Germany and the Netherlands, where such a rise was observed between 1996 and 1999.
While support for medical applications was strong, for genetically modified (GM) crops, support is lukewarm. Respondents to the survey judged this application to be moderately useful but agreed that there were risks for GM foods. Public opinion tends to support GM crops in Spain, Portugal, Ireland, Belgium, UK, Finland, Germany and the Netherlands, while France, Italy, Greece, Denmark, Austria and Luxembourg have publics that are, on average, opposed to GM crops.
Most Europeans do not support GM foods, considering them of little value and dangerous for society. Overall support for GM foods is seen in only four countries - Spain, Portugal, Ireland and Finland. These varying degrees of acceptance show that Europeans continue to distinguish between different types of applications, particularly medical in contrast to agri-food applications.
All the EU countries, with the exception of Spain and Austria, showed moderate to large declines in support for GM crops over the period 1996-1999. Thereafter support more or less stabilises in France and Germany and increases in all the other countries with the exception of Italy, which sees a 10 per cent decline in support.
The survey showed that across Europe as a whole about 25 per cent lack confidence in farmers, shops, government and industry. In addition, there is more confidence in the European Commission, than in national governments in relation to regulations and their implementation.
The study on scientific and technological developments in GM plants published by the European Commission's Joint Research Centre (JRC) shows that the prolonged slowdown in R&D for agricultural GMOs has had widespread consequences. The EU has seen significant delays to new GM varieties and applications; small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) have stopped participating in innovative plant biotechnology research and large biotech companies have relocated research, field trials and commercialisation of new GMOs outside the EU. This will quite possibly lead to importing and processing only of GM materials in the EU. However, in marked contrast, interest in GM technology continues to grow outside Europe, with many new applications being researched and followed up in field trials.
The Commission study provides for a list of new commercial GM varieties in the pipeline in the short, medium and long term. The intention is to devise a sound scientific basis for EU policy development and implementation, particularly regarding the traceability, labelling and regulation of GMO use in food, feed and seed.
However, despite the lack of confidence from consumers, the study shows that in the next decade, the range and quality of genetic modifications in crops and the numbers of new products likely to be seeking regulatory approval will be greater than those already considered.