Economic chauvinism is as much a predictor of behavior as scientific doubt. Intellectual property rights and royalty payments for U.S. firms upset the Europeans as much or more than the creation of so-called Frankenfoods. No one is holding Europeans accountable for their current levels of pesticide use and other risky applications that biotechnology might be able to dramatically reduce. At this point, GMOs loom as a greater threat to established political and economic interests abroad, so the underlying objections are rooted in culture and not science. So far, the pattern is interference without rigorous examination.
Science is ignored and emotions are exploited to restrict imports and overseas competition.
For countries such as France, this is about subsidies, not science. The protests have consequences on science and new technology, even when the regulations are relatively benign, as were the adopted protocols. Biotech's potential for progress in decreasing use of pesticides and herbicides is swept aside. Innovation becomes a casualty of protectionist politics, and consumers are never given an informed choice.