Meeting the consumer's need for information
Background
The use of biotechnology in agriculture has become a major topic of political debate in Europe. ABE (Agricultural Biotechnology Europe) was a programme created by a group of companies active in the development of agricultural biotechnology. Representatives of BASF, Bayer, DuPont, DowAgro, Monsanto and Syngenta wanted to provide information about agricultural biotechnology to Europeans in an open and transparent manner.
Research carried out before and during the campaign shows that many Europeans rely on comments from people they elect to guide them through this debate. Large numbers of Europeans expressed a desire to be provided with objective and authoritative information on the subject of agricultural biotechnology.
But what were opinion leaders saying about agricultural technology?
Objectives
- To meet the need for information expressed by Europeans
- To provide online, information on the subject from sources such as those described above.
Execution and implementation
A number of comments from a wide range of knowledgeable organisations and people were brought together in the form of statements made by people in the following categories:
- Political figures
- International organisations
- Scientists
- Representatives of different societal groups
- Developing country leaders
All statements were made “on the record” either in published reports or as reported by the media and represent that person’s, or the organisation’s, views.
Results and evaluation
The two documents, contained comments and quotes from:
- Twenty politicians from a number of European countries
- Six international organisations
- Seven scientific organisations
- Sixteen individual scientists
- Eight Representative groups and
- Sixteen developing country leaders
ABE has been able to provide authoritative, positive views from large numbers of independent, knowledgable and respected figures. It has been demonstrating organisations’ recognition that agricultural biotechnology holds great promise for society and that they see real benefits in the areas of environment, economics, overseas development and the consumer.
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