Opposition to transgenic technologies: ideology, interests and collective action frames

Despite its potential benefits, opposition to transgenic crops remains strong in influential European countries. This article explores the basis for this opposition and looks at its implications for applying transgenic technology in poorer nations, where it is needed the most. Genetic engineering has enabled significant, accepted innovations in medicine and other fields. In agriculture, however, a global cognitive divide around 'genetically modified organisms' (GMOs) has limited the diffusion and scope of this technology. The framing of agricultural products of recombinant DNA technology as GMOs lacks biological coherence, but has proved to be a powerful frame for opposition. Disaggregating the concept of the 'GMO' is a necessary condition for confronting misconceptions that constrain the use of biotechnology in addressing imperatives of development and escalating challenges from nature, especially in less-industrialized nations.