1. Professor Joe Perry and Dr Mike Wilkinson will appear together for the morning evidence session on consumer choice. Professor Perry will make a short presentation on his work on co-existence modelling (his recent paper is recirculated with the meeting papers). Then Dr Wilkinson will make a short presentation (Dr Wilkinson has provided me with a paper which is also circulated with the meeting papers). Questions can then be directed to both of them or separately as appropriate following their presentations.
2. In order to help Members consider possible lines of questioning, a statement of the work of the consumer choice group is attached to this note.
3. Principal areas that could be covered in the session include:
economic and practical implications for farmers and other parts of the supply chain of different thresholds of adventitious presence
the implications of modelling of different thresholds on co-existence of GM, organic and other cultivation
the likely effects on agricultural practice of different possible co-existence regimes
on-farm and other practical means of limiting geneflow
AEBC secretariat
September 2002
WORK OF CONSUMER CHOICE GROUP
The Agriculture and Environment Biotechnology Commission (AEBC) was launched by Government in the United Kingdom in June 2000 with a remit to provide independent strategic advice on developments in biotechnology and their implications for agriculture and the environment. One of the AEBC's main areas of work at present is looking at the issue of consumer choice. The AEBC has set up a working group of several Commissioners to take this work forward.
The group is approaching the issues from two angles: what consumers want now and may want in the future; and how could this be delivered in practical terms by producers.
What factors affect consumers' purchasing decisions? What do people mean about choice in relation to GM foods? There is considerable evidence that most consumers in the UK want to be able to distinguish between GM and non-GM foods. How important to people now and in the future is having different kinds of food and non-food crops (GM, organic, other non-GM) produced in the UK? The group will analyse consumer decision-making and existing social research on consumer preferences.
What are the regulatory provisions that will impact on consumer choice? The draft European directive on traceability and labelling and food and feed regulations together with the provisions to be made on seed purity, will have significant practical and economic implications for the co-existence of different GM and non-GM crops on the farm and elsewhere in the supply chain. This includes both the scope - what materials are covered by the labelling regulations - and in terms of the thresholds set for adventitious presence (AP) of GM material in food, feed and seeds. The group will examine the implications and who will pay for the costs of maintaining AP thresholds and ensuring traceability. It will consider the implications of different thresholds and traceability requirements in a representative range of food and non-food crops: beet, oil seed rape, wheat and trees. These are all grown in the UK and GM varieties of each are already or likely soon to be commercialised elsewhere.
If GM crops are commercialised, how might they co-exist with other forms of agriculture? The group will examine the practical and economic implications of different models of co-existence for producers (seed producers, the agricultural biotechnology industry, on the farm, elsewhere in the supply chain) and for consumers. The implications of gene transfer from GM crops to other crops or wild relatives will be considered as part of this.
The group will draw on data from abroad where these crops have already been commercialised; other published data about geneflow and mixing in the supply chain; and on modelling of different co-existence scenarios for Europe and the UK. It will also take into account evidence about the practical limits of detecting GM material in non-GM produce.
The aim of the group is to draw up strategic recommendations for Government about co-existence and consumer choice. The group plans to consult a range of stakeholders on its preliminary conclusions. In order to assess how acceptable to the public its recommendations are likely to be, the group also intends to consult some consumers on its proposals.
