Aussies give thumbs up to biotechnology

A national survey to gauge how Australians feel about biotechnology has shown that the majority are strongly supportive of those efforts which lead to health and environmental benefits, while support for genetically modified (GM) food has fallen amid ongoing confusion and uncertainty.

The biennial survey was conducted between December 2009 and June this year by the IPSOS-Eureka Social Research Institute under commissioned from the federal Department of Innovation, Industry, Science and Research.

It involved six focus groups with a total of 47 participants, three separate stakeholder consultations with at total of 15 participants, as well as 1024 people chosen from demographically diverse areas either online or via computer-assisted telephone interviewing (CATI).

The results showed that the general public is especially interested in genetic modification, cloning and using organisms to clean up pollution. However, it is stem cell research which garnered the most interest and the most positive response.

“Of all the uses of biotechnology surveyed, the findings show that stem cell use remains the most accepted application, with the highest levels of perceived benefits (92 per cent) and one of the lowest levels of perceived risk (24 per cent),” said Dr Craig Cormick, from the Department’s National Enabling Technologies Strategy team.

These results were welcomed by a number of imminent Australian stem cell experts, including Dr Megan Munsie, Senior Manager, Research and Government at the Australian Stem Cell Centre.

“We are pleased Australians continue to support stem cell research as shown by such a high level of awareness and acceptance in this Report,” she said. “At the Australian Stem Cell Centre we have worked tirelessly to make stem cell research accessible to the community through our engagement with teachers, students, patient groups and community groups such as Rotary.”

She warned however that while stem cell technology carrier the potential to ease pain and suffering of millions of people, it is important to remain realistic about the technology so as not to create an “expectations vacuum”, which could be exploited by overseas companies and clinics which may over promise yet under deliver.

Associate Professor Kuldip Sidhu is Director of the Stem Cell Lab and Chair of Stem Cell Biology at the University of New South Wales added that education, clear labelling of products and transparency of information regarding stem cell technology would be key to its acceptance.

Facing a much harder battle for public approval, according to the survey, is GM food.

“GM food remains among the least well-supported biotechnologies, although the public perceives the benefits (70 per cent) still outweigh the risks (48 per cent),” Dr Cormick said.

For instance, while support for it increased from 64 to 77 percent between 2005 and 2007, last year it fell back down to 67 percent.

Dr Cormick said that the change appeared to be more a result of confusion and uncertainty than any pattern of negative sentiment.

“It is actually getting harder to give a single figure for support or not for GM foods,”

“While 67 per cent say GM foods are acceptable, half of those opposed would change that position if there was long-term evidence of no harm being caused.

“And 45 per cent of those opposed to GM foods would change their position if labelling explained what ingredients had been modified and why.”

Associate Professor Christopher Preston, an expert in weed management at the University of Adelaide nevertheless felt that there were a lot of positives to be taken from the survey.

“Two-thirds of the Australian public continue to support the use of biotechnology in food production, despite the considerable amount of negative comment on the subject made by some activist groups,” he said.

He added that GM crops have been in production for about the last 15 years by some 14 million farmers, many of whom can be found in developing countries.

“This demonstrates the power of biotechnology in helping to develop solutions to agricultural problems. However, these technologies still need to be adopted in the correct manner in order that other problems, like pest resistance, do not arise from their use.”

Professor Mike Jones, Professor of Agricultural Biotechnology at Murdoch University, Perth said that biotechnology was leading to vastly improved understanding of the biology and plants and animals which has the potential to greatly benefit the world’s population.

Nevertheless, there are some areas of biotechnology where the public’s attitude is often based more on perception and misinformation, than on a sound understanding of the science and relative risks,” Professor Jones said.

“This is the case for GM crops, which have been embraced globally by farmers, and in 2009 there were 134 million hectares grown in 26 countries.”

And the uptake has been especially enthusiastic in our own backyards, he added, with GM canola expanding from 800 to 72,000 hectares in Western Australia in just one year, “a real vote of confidence from farmers,” professor Jones said, adding that “growing GM crops reduces pesticide use and contributes increased yields and tolerance to drought and other environmental stresses – this is needed to feed an extra 70 million people each year.”

Further, he stressed that GM crops have a role to play in protecting biodiversity by reducing the need for farming to further encroach into the natural ecosystem.

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