ATTITUDES TO GENETIC ENGINEERING AMONG SUGARCANE INDUSTRY STAKEHOLDERS

CURRENT community attitudes towards genetically engineered plants are quite negative with the sugar industry having apparently accepted the view that sugar from genetically engineered cane is regarded so badly by consumers at the present time that it could not be marketed successfully. In other industries, genetically modified cultivars, that are environmentally friendly and not designed for human consumption, e.g. Bt cotton, have been accepted reasonably well. One of the main causes of public concern about genetic engineering has been the lack of information about the process. There are conflicting views about the impact of information on the public’s acceptance of biotechnology and genetic engineering. Scientists consider that resistance to the technology is the result of ignorance and that community members will be more accepting as they become more educated about the technology. Information from the Eurobarometer (the European Commission’s periodic survey instrument) has been interpreted to mean that public acceptance of genetically engineered plants and animals decreases as the level of knowledge increases. This paper describes exploratory research in the sugar industry in Queensland that attempted to determine the effect of providing information on gene technology on the attitudes of cane growers, their partners, and community members. Attitudes to genetic engineering of sugarcane were judged to become more positive and the real concerns over introduction of the technology were revealed.