ABSTRACT
Germany is one of the forerunner countries of critical views on genetic engineering. While biotechnology was only of little public interest in the 1970s and early 1980s, two triggers started an intense debate in Germany. These include: the birth of the first German test tube baby and the attempt of Hoechst to establish a plant for the production of human insulin using methods of genetic engineering. Looking at public perception of biotechnology, a first glance seems to support the view of a particularly sceptical German public. The German chemical and pharmaceutical industries failed to recognise biotechnology as an innovative business sector, although there had been hints from the administrative system as well as from science that genetic engineering and biotechnology would offer new fields for innovation. While medical and pharmaceutical applications find strong support in the German public, most people reject applications in agriculture, especially in food production and animal breeding.
