Theme: Sustainable Food Production Systems
The roles of biotechnology, conventional and organic approaches in farming systems are still being debated in EU and this is an area of considerable frustration and tension between research, industry and the consumer. Research on biotechnology has been underway for at least 20 years. During this period there has been a growth in consumer expectation that production systems will be sustainable in terms of the land resources. In the consumers’ mind this is best exemplified by the organic production systems, but research and industry is frustrated that biotechnology cannot be freely used to meet sustainability goals. The experience in NZ is rather similar to that in EU. NZ has a focus on efficient use of resources, innovation along the full value chain and integration of technologies from a range of disciplines into farming systems. Frustration of the application of biotechnology by activism, regulation and consumer opposition is a reality that NZ has to work with in their research and development activities. It is important that this area is part of the discussion on cross-sectoral research and consumer issues so that we can learn from shared experience.
