At last week's British Association science festival, the BA president and chairman of Glaxo Wellcome, Sir Richard Sykes told us that British science is in decline. A mixture of hostility from anti-GM groups and lack of support from government have resulted in an ailing biotechnology industry. Sir Richard's address was follow a few days later by news from the pharmaceutical company Novartis that it is considering spinning off its agricultural business (which includes genetically modified (GM) products). Even the pharmaceutical industry, it seems, is distancing itself from GM foods.
One of Sir Richard's solutions to this problem is to increase the public understanding of science. 'The creation of greater scientific literacy in the wider community must be seen as an important goal for the Government, educationalists, the scientific community, industry and the media,' he said. But is scientific literacy really the key to a healthy biotechnology industry?
It is certainly true that the public is still largely in the dark about the science of genetically modified organisms. But I suspect that a mass education programme in plant genetics would do little to change public attitudes to GM food. It would be a case of shutting the door after the horse has bolted. The reputation of GM food has been so tarnished that even unequivocal proof of safety would fall on deaf ears.But things could have been different. One thing I saw little of during the debate on GM food was an industry representative who not only provided a clear explanation of GM technology but, more importantly, sang its praises.
We do need to understand more about the science of GM technology, just as we do about the science of other biotechnologies. But, more importantly, we need confident proponents of science who want to win our hearts and minds, rather than just to fill our heads with facts. Multinational companies have a poor reputation in the public imagination and whilst we all have a responsibility to stand up for scientific research, a few more industry figures who are out to win public hearts and minds would go a long way to reversing the decline.
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