ABSTRACT
This book came about initially as a result of informal discussions between the authors, all of whom are involved directly, to a greater or lesser extent, with agricultural science and research. With the public’s perceptions in the United Kingdom (UK) fuelled strongly by media hype surrounding the issues of biotechnology, genetic modification (GM), bovine spongiform encephalitis (BSE), swine fever and foot and mouth it has become apparent that the level of debate in relation to agricultural research is becoming not only more and more polarized, but also increasingly politically charged and poorly informed. The arguments presented tend to involve the following themes. On one hand, it is put forward that farmers in the UK produce too much food, that it is environmentally damaging, that it is costly (in the case of the Common Agricultural Policy – CAP), that it is not healthy and that the whole system is supported by huge grants. Furthermore, it’s said that this system of agribusiness is underpinned by research into new technologies that society does not want, carried out by white-coated boffins isolated in labs, who work for multinational corporations who collectively appear to have no social conscience or responsibility. The argument continues that this system of production is then exported wholesale to the developing countries of the world whether they want it or not. The opposing view is that food production needs to be increased to meet a growing population, that present methods of agricultural production are the only way forward to meet this demand and that new technologies being developed are not only safe, environmentally benign and equitable, but also transferable to the developing world.
