Abstract
“Interactive Technology Assessment” and Beyond: the Field Trial of Genetically Modified Grapevines at INRA-Colmar
Highlights
There is increasing interest worldwide in how decision-making processes concerning controversial technological innovations can be improved by better integration of input from society at large
During the late 80s and early 90s, Europe was a hotbed of research and development concerning genetically modified (GM) plants, and numerous field trials were performed without significant public opposition
For the Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique (INRA) researchers, these choices further complicated their building on the results of the initial trial performed in Champagne, but they were decisive for the Local Monitoring Committee (LMC), as they acknowledged the importance of the image of vines and wine
Summary
In spite of public opposition, regarding what is certainly the most socially emblematic crop in France, INRA decided to persist in this project, but under quite different circumstances. Its operation was based on the Interactive Technology Assessment (ITA) method [4], and its work focused on issues of innovation in grapevines and wine [5,6,7] Following this first stage of consultation, in the spring of 2003, a Local Monitoring Committee (LMC) was set up for the GM grapevine rootstock trial at the INRA Centre in Colmar. The fact that the GM rootstock trial was based at the INRA site in Colmar might appear to have been an obvious decision because of the logistical convenience for the research institution, whereas this was not the case When it came to choosing a site for the trial, it was necessary to face up to the wine-growing profession’s refusal to allow the trial to take place on land within the officially recognized perimeter of Alsace vineyards and, more generally, its rejection of GM organisms. For the INRA researchers, these choices further complicated their building on the results of the initial trial performed in Champagne, but they were decisive for the LMC, as they acknowledged the importance of the image of vines and wine
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