Ethics for food and agriculture research
Many people feel that corporate, government and expert opinions often drown out those of people who are personally affected by current technological developments.
These people include, for example, those:
- with a disability
- conceived through reproductive technologies (eg 'test-tube' babies)
- who use reproductive technologies to conceive
- such as farmers, scientists, and others who feel they have much to contribute to the debate.
As everybody is a consumer of food or agricultural products, discussions involving these issues should take ethical principles into consideration. These principles may include:
- informed consent
- individual rights
- freedom of choice.
At a deeper level, every discussion on food and agriculture must touch upon the distribution of decision-making power between governments, the corporations who manufacture and sell GM foods, and the consumers; that is, us.