Agricultural biotechnology: Public acceptance, regulation and international consensus

In this paper, I will analyze the relationship between market integration in the international food system and three interrelated debates in the biotechnology sphere: public acceptance, regulation and international consensus. I will examine the construction of EU public opinion, its impact on EU policy and its indirect effects in the global food system including the EU-US regulatory conflict. I will also investigate the extent to which EU market forces have forced other nations to respond, in some cases leading to international consensus. In closing, I emphasize the importance of market integration in driving countries to respond to public opinion in the EU.