Abstract
In Europe the use of genetically modified (GM) crops in food production has so far failed to gain wide public approval. Ordinary people are concerned about issues not covered by the existing regulation, including usefulness and unnaturalness. In response, particularly to worries about unnaturalness, biotechnologists have suggested that inserted genes should derive only from the plant itself, or from close relatives. This paper examines public perceptions of these so-called ‘cisgenic crops’ and asks whether the public shares the idea that they are less unnatural and thus more acceptable than transgenic plants. Using five focus group interviews, we identified five lines of argument about naturalness with a bearing on the assessment of cisgenic crops as well as GM crops in general. The paper concludes that, depending on perceptions of naturalness, some people would agree that cisgenic crops are more acceptable than their transgenic counterparts. The finding that ordinary people value different aspects of naturalness may be relevant to a broader audience than just those interested in gene technology. It cautions against a simplistic interpretation of what counts as ‘natural’.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Conner, A.J. 2007. Intragenic vectors for gene transfer without foreign DNA. Euphytica 154(3): 341–353.
De Cock, B.T., E.T. Lammerts van Bueren, M.A. Haring, H.C. de Vriend, and P.C. Struik. 2006. ‘Cisgenic’ as a product designation. Nature Biotechnology 24(11): 1329–1331.
Deckers, J. 2005. Are scientists right and non-scientists wrong? Reflections on discussions of GM. Journal of Agricultural and Environmental Ethics 18(5): 451–478.
European Commission. 2010. Proposal for amending directive 2001/18/EC as regards the possibility for the member states to restrict or prohibit the cultivation of GMOs in their territory—COM(2010) 375 final.
Finucane, M.L., A. Alhakami, P. Slovic, and S.M. Johnson. 2000. The affect heuristic in judgments of risks and benefits. Journal of Behavioral Decision Making 13(1): 1–17.
Gaskell, G., S. Stares, A. Allansdottir, N. Allum, P. Castro, Y. Esmer, C. Fischler, J. Jackson, N. Kronberger, J. Hampel, N. Mejlgaard, A. Quintanilha, A. Rammer, G. Revuelta, P. Stoneman, H. Torgersen, and W. Wagner. 2010. Europeans and biotechnology in 2010: Winds of change? Report for the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Research.
Gaskell, G., N. Allum, M. Bauer, J. Durant, A. Allansdottir, H. Bonfadelli, D. Boy, S. de Chevigné, B. Fjastad, J.M. Guttling, J. Hampel, E. Jelsøe, J.C. Jesuino, M. Kohring, N. Kronberger, C. Midden, T.H. Nielsen, A. Przestalski, T. Rusanen, G. Sakellaris, H. Torgersen, T. Twardowski, and W. Wagner. 2000. Biotechnology and the European public. Nature Biotechnology 18(9): 935–938.
Giddings, L.V. 2006. ‘Cisgenic’ as a product designation. Nature Biotechnology 24(11): 1329.
Lassen, J., and A. Jamison. 2006. Genetic technologies meet the public: The discourses of concern. Science, Technology and Human Values 31(1): 8–28.
Madsen, K.H., P.B. Holm, J. Lassen, and P. Sandøe. 2002. Ranking genetically modified plants according to familiarity. Journal of Agricultural and Environmental Ethics 15(3): 267–278.
Myskja, B.K. 2006. The moral difference between intragenic and transgenic modification of plants. Journal of Agricultural and Environmental Ethics 19(3): 225–238.
Nickson, T.E., and M.J. Horak. 2006. Assessing familiarity: The role of plant characterization. In Proceedings of the ninth international symposium on the biosafety of genetically modified organisms, ed. A. Roberts, 76–80. Saskatoon, Canada: International Society for Biosafety Research.
Nielsen, K.M. 2003. Transgenic organisms—Time for conceptual diversification? Nature Biotechnology 21(3): 227–228.
Nielsen, A.P., J. Lassen, and P. Sandøe. 2005. Involving the public: Participatory methods and democratic ideals. In Biotechnology ethics: An introduction, ed. L. Landeweerd, L.M. Houdebine, and R. Termeulen, 315–325. Firenze: IAAS-EDAP.
Ridder, B. 2007. An exploration of the value of naturalness and wild nature. Journal of Agricultural and Environmental Ethics 20(2): 195–213.
Robert, J.S., and F. Baylis. 2003. Crossing species boundaries. American Journal of Bioethics 3(3): 1–13.
Rommens, C.M., M.A. Haring, K. Swords, H.V. Davies, and W.R. Belknap. 2007. The intragenic approach as a new extension to traditional plant breeding. Trends in Plant Science 12(9): 397–403.
Russell, W., and R. Sparrow. 2008. The case for regulating intragenic GMOs. Journal of Agricultural and Environmental Ethics 21(2): 153–181.
Schouten, H.J., and E. Jacobsen. 2008. Cisgenesis and intragenesis, sisters in innovative plant breeding. Trends in Plant Science 13(6): 260–261.
Schouten, H.J., F.A. Krens, and E. Jacobsen. 2006. Cisgenic plants are similar to traditionally bred plants: International regulations for genetically modified organisms should be altered to exempt cisgenesis. EMBO Reports 7(8): 750–753.
Shaw, A. 2002. “It just goes against the grain”. Public understandings of genetically modified (GM) food in the UK. Public Understanding of Science 11(3): 273–291.
Siipi, H. 2008. Dimensions of naturalness. Ethics and the Environment 13(1): 72–99.
Streiffer, R., and T. Hedemann. 2005. The political import of intrinsic objections to genetically engineered food. Journal of Agricultural and Environmental Ethics 18(2): 191–210.
Torgersen, H., J. Hampel, M. von Bergmann-Wienberg, E. Bridgeman, J. Durant, E. Einsiedel, B. Fjæstad, G. Gaskell, P. Grabner, P. Hieber, E. Jelsøe, J. Lassen, A. Marouda-Chathoulis, T.H. Nielsen, T. Rusanen, G. Sakellaris, F. Seifert, C. Smink, T. Twardowski, and M. Kamara. 2002. Promise, problems and proxies: Twenty-five years of debate and regulation in Europe. In Biotechnology: The making of a global controversy, ed. M.W. Bauer, and G. Gaskell, 21–94. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Toulmin, S.E. 2003. The uses of argument. New York: Cambridge University Press.
Acknowledgments
This work was funded by the Danish Food Industry Agency.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Mielby, H., Sandøe, P. & Lassen, J. Multiple aspects of unnaturalness: are cisgenic crops perceived as being more natural and more acceptable than transgenic crops?. Agric Hum Values 30, 471–480 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10460-013-9430-1
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10460-013-9430-1