Herbicide resistant sugar beet - what is the problem?

Risk assessment studies of herbicide resistant sugar beet have revealed no risks to human health or the environment. Indeed it appears that commercial growth of this crop might secure benefits such as decreased pesticide use and increased biodiversity. However, widespread resistance to GM crops such as herbicide resistant sugar beet still persists in Europe. It is argued t hat this is not just because people do not know the relevant facts. Rather it is because popular resistance to GM food is driven in part by concerns o ther than the fear of narrowly defined risks to health and the environment. These other concerns include an aversion to commercial monopoly and a nega tive view of pesticide use in general. Herbicide resistant sugar beet may a lso be perceived as a "Trojan horse,'' i.e., a crop whose licensing would c reate a precedent and make it more likely that other, less environmentally friendly, crops will be approved within the current strictly technical and science-based risk assessment procedures. To meet these public concerns, a kind of technology assessment reflecting factors such as benefits and consu mer choice is called for.