In Switzerland, as in much of Europe, the population is wary of genetically-modified (GM) plants. According to a national research project, three out of four Swiss consumers would not eat bread containing GM products. What about you?
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The researchers believe that consumer attitudes could change if GM grain or vegetables became cheaper than traditional varieties, were longer lasting, or could be produced more ecologically and more sustainably.
Could this sway your opinion or make you change your mind about GM foods? What do you think are the most important factors in favour or against sales of these products?
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Scientists’ findings don’t satisfy politicians
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While they have been grown across the Americas and India for 15 years, GM plants for agriculture continue to be regarded with suspicion in Europe, nowhere more than in Switzerland. In 2005, Swiss voters approved a moratorium of five years on their use in the country. In 2010, parliament extended that ban by another three…
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GM plants are not harmful – neither for human health nor for the environment: that is the basic finding reached by the Swiss National Science Foundation’s national research programme (NRP) on the risks and benefits of GM plants in agriculture. In the present circumstances, however, the economic benefit of this biotechnology for farmers remains “modest”,…
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The government requested a national research programme on the risks and benefits of GM plants after the Swiss voted for a five-year moratorium on their use in 2005. The moratorium was extended for another three years by parliament. Between 2007 and 2011, 30 projects were launched as part of the programme at a total cost…
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While they found some advantages in terms of fungi and bacteria resistance, they identified few major differences between GM and conventional wheat in terms of their behaviour and effects on other organisms. Between 2008 and 2010, researchers planted and studied 14 varieties of GM wheat in Reckenholz near Zurich and in Pully near Lausanne. They…
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According to a new study, stakeholders are tired of the topic, the media is not reporting on it and the public is ambivalent. And most people welcome the government’s proposal to extend the current moratorium on the commercial use of genetically-modified (GM) plants. The “Green Technology in the Public Sphere” project, whose results were revealed…
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The ins and outs of organic farming
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The Research Institute of Organic Agriculture (FiBL) in Frick in canton Aargau, founded in 1973, is the oldest and biggest research centre for organic agriculture in the world. It employs about 120 people of different nationalities, and has two partner institutes in Germany and Austria. (swissinfo.ch).
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here. Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.