Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
The “nuclear-free zones” of the seventies mirror the “GMO-free zones”
discussed in Europe and notably in Switzerland and in Russia, where
areas like the Volgograd, Kostroma, Murmansk, Ryazan, Sverdlovsk, or
Ulyanovsk may possibly become “GM-free zones” (Sobolevskya, 2007).
As shown in the case of Brazil developed by Farias and Allain in this
volume (Chapter 5), the GMO issue may even evolve over a ten-year
period from being highly controversial to innocuous, at least officially,
for the benefit of a growing industry, operating under the “fight against
hunger” banner.
2
According to Farias and Allain, this rapid conversion
is to be interpreted in the larger context of the influence of globalization
on developing countries.
As noted by Ansell and Vogel (2006) and reinforced in this volume by
Vergragt and Szejnwald Brown, public controversy over GMOs has not
been limited to the toxicity issue. It quickly expanded and touched upon
issues such as the perceived power of strong corporations over farmers,
the consequences of trade liberalization, globalization effects, the con-
servation of species and plants, and consumers' free choice (Bray, 2003).
As other examples of high-risk/high-hazards industries have shown
(nuclear industry for example), a highly political profile implies an
increase of the degree of public scrutiny and oversight. The latter in turn
impact greatly on the daily operations of such an industry, in our case the
management of GM crop growing. Although it may not be the case at the
moment, in time it will surely become a growing concern for the man-
agement of GM agribusiness. As explained years ago by La Porte, the
potentially highly publicized nature of any event or mishap is a burden,
which in itself constitutes a risk for any organization (La Porte, 1996).
Clearly, for such high-profile industries, tremendous efforts and substan-
tial resources are geared to either building or restoring public trust and
confidence (La Porte & Metlay, 1996, La Porte, 2001). This is with no
doubt the case of the GM industry.
2
Recently, a similar development affects civil nuclear power, operating now under the
“fight against global warning” banner. After decades of suspicion, there is undoubtedly
a nuclear revival worldwide including the United States.
