Social Trenches in the GM Food Battlefield: Experiences of a Survey Series in Hungary

Abstract

Since the 1990s, attention has been focused on GM plant and food applications, due to concerns about potential risks that arise from the technology. There is a vast literature on social attitudes to GM in richer countries where public debates have taken place. Hungary as a transition country provides a context where the media and the public engage with GM in a different way. This chapter uses content analysis of print and electronic media, as well as interviews, to explore framings in relation to different social and political groups. The Hungarian political context generates a double game: anti-GM declarations for domestic voters, and pro-GM policy in the international arena. The academic sphere is also divided, partly as a consequence of its chronic underfunding, which means it cannot fulfill its role as a scientific watchdog: some institutions depend on funding from international biotech companies, some try to get resources to study GM risks. Agricultural production also has a dual structure. The large-scale producers adopt a pro- and the small producers an anti-GM position. It is highly possible that the last word in the GM debate will be determined by international processes (such as trade liberalization, the WTO, and policies of neighboring countries), political forces and lobbying by interest groups and not public opinion and independent, objective academic discourse.