PlantPharma

According to a survey on biotechnology published yesterday and entitled “Europeans and biotechnology in 2005: Patterns and Trends”, European citizens are more optimistic about technology, more informed and more trusting of the biotechnology system. The European public is not risk-averse about technological innovations that are seen to promise tangible benefits.

While the majority are willing to delegate responsibility on new technologies to experts, making decisions on the basis on the scientific evidence, a substantial minority would like to see greater weight given to moral and ethical considerations in decision taking about science and technology and to the voices of the public.

The survey shows that there is widespread support for medical (red) and industrial (white) biotechnologies, but general opposition to agricultural (green) biotechnologies in all but a few countries. Europeans are interested in finding out about the risks and benefits associated with stem cell research, a utilitarian approach that informs their generally supportive view of this technology.

Industrial applications of biotechnology in bio-fuels, bio-plastics and biopharming for pharmaceuticals are widely supported in Europe, with over 70 per cent of respondents supporting incentives to develop bio-fuels and plastics. More people than not say they would pay more for a vehicle that runs on bio-fuels and pay more for bio-plastics. Around six in ten approve of biopharming providing that it is tightly regulated and across the EU those approving of biopharming outnumber those who disapprove in all but Austria.