Proponents of agricultural biotechnology are calling for a reconsideration of the organic opposition to GMOs in light of [New Plant Breeding Techniques] NPBTs. … In this paper, we have sketched the diversity that exists under both the terms organic and GM and shown how disagreements on this issue involve a clash of agri/cultures between agroindustrial and agroecological approaches. … Through this analysis, we suggest that given the history of experience with existing GMOs, the in-context-trajectory of biotechnology development, the continued narrow framing of agricultural problems and the ongoing exclusion of important socio-economic, political and cultural dimensions, NPBTs are unlikely to gain favour within organic movements given the criteria that are articulated as important for them.
…Unless deep cultural change takes place within GM research, development, orientation, assessment, and deployment, NBPTs will fail to meet the criteria of importance for [International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements] (IFOAM) in much the same way as existing biotechnologies today. Therefore, we conclude that on the basis of its expressed criteria of importance, the organic movement should maintain its opposition to GM despite the emergence of NPBTs because currently, these new techniques appear to be writing the same old story.
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