New Zealand public attitudes towards genetically modified food

Abstract

Pastoral farming is the major land use in New Zealand, utilising about 40 per cent of the total land (Statistics New Zealand, 2009). Pastoral Genomics (PG), an industry-good organisation funded by the Ministry of Science and Innovation, DairyNZ, Fonterra, Beef and Lamb, Deer Research and Agresearch, is developing genetically modified (GM) ryegrass with increased biomass, drought tolerance and high sugar levels. PG is conducting field tests in North America in order to gather the data needed for submission of an application to the New Zealand Environmental Risk Management Authority (ERMA- now EPA ) for permission for field trials. The purpose of this study was to see if the New Zealand public’s attitudes towards GM food were changing, with the aim of understanding if such development will be acceptable to the public and become a commercial reality. The study was carried out using an online survey to track changes in public attitudes and, through the use of focus groups, to gain a deeper understanding of how, why, and if, attitudes were changing. The questionnaire was derived from Small’s 2001, 2003, 2005 and 2009 studies. This study found that the NZ public’s attitudes towards GM have remained negative. However, there was less opposition to GM food or applications that benefitted human health, compared to just GM food without any human health benefits. The level of opposition also depended on the organism that was being modified. GM animals had less support than GM plants. The implications of the findings of this study were that GM developers needed to engage and reassure the public about the safety of GM.