Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
need to negotiate costly settlements of these lawsuits out of court. In
addition, they will incur the substantial legal fees and other transac-
tion costs of defending or negotiating, regulatory penalties, and other
business losses that can include the recall of products from the market-
place and their destruction, and loss of reputation and customers. Sev-
eral of these scenarios are discussed later in this chapter, based on law-
suits arising from incidents in which conventional crops were rejected
by domestic and foreign customers because of actual or suspected GM
contamination.
Nevertheless, the American context for GM agriculture and food
remains favorable because the public remains acquiescent and regula-
tors and the large domestic market continue to be accommodating. This
is due, in part, to the values, attitudes, and behaviors at play in American
culture.
Cultural Influence
American culture is a complex brew of romantic beliefs, utilitarian val-
ues, and pragmatic behaviors. With regard to agriculture, there is rev-
erence for the “natural” but rapid acceptance of the technologically
manipulated, admiration for the small, local family farm and its strug-
gle to maintain traditional agrarian practices but unquestioned purchase
of foods shipped across the nation from remote corporate enterprises
employing migrant labor and new technologies. Preference for familiar
local foods is easily displaced by new fast foods. And despite dedication
to the work ethic, consumers increasingly demand convenience products,
many of which abuse the normal concept of food. Although such dispar-
ities between beliefs and behaviors exist in other nations, in the United
States, they have provided the opportunity for aggressive proponents of
GM agriculture to establish substantial markets.
The disparities between espoused principles and beliefs and actual
behaviors is striking, as shown by the ease with which principles and
beliefs are abandoned when consumers make purchasing decisions.
