Survey Shows Increasing Support for GM Crop Research
Public acceptance of genetically modified crops appears to be increasing based on the survey conducted by ComRes for The Independent in United Kingdom.
The respondents were asked if the Government should allow research on GM crops to reduce pesticide use of farmers. Majority (64%) agreed, 27% disagreed, and 9% were undecided. The results also showed that there is a significant "gender gap" with females having more knowledge about the conduct of GM crop trials than the males. However, more males (70%) said that such experiments should be encouraged, while only 58% of the females share the same thinking.
Few differences were found in terms of opinion and the respondents age, social class, or location. The overall findings look encouraging for researchers who hope that a more softly approach to the development of GM crops in UK will gradually win over a skeptical public. At present, no GM crops are grown commercially in UK but imported commodities contain GM crops such as soybean are used for animal feed.
The original story is available at http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/dramatic-change-as-twothirds-now-support-gm-crop-testing-7973432.html.
This article is part of the Crop Biotech Update, a weekly summary of world developments in agri-biotech for developing countries, produced by the Global Knowledge Center on Crop Biotechnology, International Service for the Aquisition of Agri-Biotech Applications SEAsiaCenter (ISAAA)
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