Do Biotech's Goals Agree with the Public?

Are the goals of biotechnology companies compatible with the goals of the dairy industry or the public? That's what David Campbell, an economic and public-policy analyst for the UC Davis-based UC Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program, will discuss at the sixth annual International Biotechnology Exposition and Scientific Conference in San Francisco Oct. 26-28. In the session "Biotechnology's Collision With the Public," he will address bGH, a controversial, genetically engineered bovine growth hormone designed to increase milk production. "BGH is a case where legitimate public interests and scientific concerns argue against introduction of this particular biotechnology product," he says. Campbell will discuss data from a recently published UC study that examined the implications of bGH and an alternative technology called rotational grazing on the dairy industry and society.