“Red, Green, and in-between”

Regulation, Public Attitudes andThe Development of Molecular

Farming

Richard Milne, STS, University College London

● Introduction to Molecular Farming● Regulation● 'Red good, green bad'● MF and the Public

● To what extent and in what ways is it meaningful to talk about a boundary between red and green biotechnology in regulation and public attitudes in the UK?

● How is the presence of a divide in these two fields of policy and the public highlighted and challenged by developments in molecular farming?

Molecular Farming

● The production of pharmaceuticals in transgenic plants

● Biopharmaceutical production● 'Edible Vaccines'

● Potential global capacity shortage for the production of biotechnology medicines

● Provide low-tech solution: developing world vaccines, pharma production

A 'hybrid' technology which traverses the boundaries between existing regulatory

authorities and those represented in studies of public attitudes to biotechnology:

The red/green divide in the two hurdles

From this...

To this...

Red/Green Publics

“the distinction between medical - the so-called “red” biotechnologies and agri-food - so-called “green” biotechnologies is apparent” (Gaskell, Allum and

Stares, 2003: 12)

"Consumers accept medical GMOs but refuse GMOs used in food and agriculture" (Stakeholder Myth

No.3, Marris et al.,2001)

“perhaps the main problem facing the industry is the public backlash against GM food and animal testing” (Van Reenen, 2002: 123)

“widespread rejection of GMOs and generally of all genetic engineering techniques in

agriculture” (Saviotti, de Looze and Maupertuis (2005: 105)

'public opinion' represents a crucial 'second hurdle' in the diffusion of technologies in society

(Bauer and Gaskell, 2002)

Important Publics

“its quite interesting to compare pharmaceutical stuff and the way that is developing. You know the chemistry is different, the human chemistry

that's attached to it all. That's quite different” (Interview, 02/06)

“resistance to biopharming should be considerably lower [than to first generation GM crops]” as “people don't question the necessity

of medicines” (Berschauer, 2005)

What do we know?● Few studies of public attitudes to MF

– Mentioned briefly in PABE study– Einsiedel and Medlock, 2005 (Canada)

● focus groups– Kirk and McIntosh, 2005 (Arizona)

● survey– AEBC Non-Food Crops study, 2005

● 2 of 8 case studies, focus groups

● Regulation is confused

My research programme

● Am currently undertaking interviews with actors involved in development of MF

● Will be conducting a series of repeat focus groups later this summer

● Exploration of how the medical and agricultural are 'purified' out of their biotechnological entanglement