Experiments in the governance of biotechnology: a case study of the UK National Consensus Conference

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Abstract
The UK National Consensus Conference on Plant Biotechnology was organized by the Science Museum and held in Regent's College, London, in November 1994. A Lay Paneldrawn from the public questioned expert witnesses from the industry and its opponents and then presented their conclusions in a report. It was the first time a newtechnology had been exposed to this type of deliberative consultation in the UK. This conference was an attempt to fix an agreed consensus on the future of a highly contentious technology. At stake in this debate was who represents popular feelings about the social and environmental effects of this new technology. Public discussion of biotechnology is increasing in frequency and intensity. However, sustained face-to-face encounters between members of the public, biotech experts and environ-mentalists are still rare events. The article explores the ways in which this encounter was framed, including the production of the identities of expert and lay person. Enduring problems remain in the form of the influence of experts and the relation between the public and public-interest groups. Future experiments should take account of the place such a conference would occupy in the policy process as well as the appropriate institutional arrangements and culture of the project.

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