Why do the citizens of Europe appear more concerned about GMO food and crops than their US counterparts?
It is hard to say for definite, but I can suggest some factors. The US regulatory agencies seem to be more open and more trusted. In Europe, the BSE crisis has undermined popular trust in the competence and motivation of scien-tific advisers and their political masters. On the environmental side, the United States has a clearer separation of agriculture and conservation -areas, or wilderness, and both are vast. In the more crowded countries of Europe, what is left of the environment and wildlife is inextric-ably tied up with agriculture, so trends in agriculture matter. As one UK government advisory agency put it, we want to ensure that GM crops are not the last straw for wildlife already -under press-ure from intensive agricult-ure. A further small point most of Europe has ratified the convention on Biological Diversity the United States has not. Q: What should organisations such as the OECD do next? A: OECD countries should accept that there are legitimate public health and environme
