Scoping genome editing in the Norwegian public

Genome editing techniques have opened a plethora of possibilities for plant and animal breeding, and its application is considered controversial and widely debated. We believe that the discussion of the use of these techniques in food systems requires a broad democratic engagement, in which those in position of knowledge about the technology hold a great responsibility. In a recent paper, Kramer and Meijboom (2022) argue that “an important preliminary question for any ethical evaluation of (innovation in) genomic selection is how the scope of the discussion should be set”. Their framework provides a useful starting point to think about how the genome editing technology is discussed in public. We argue that the concept of scoping choices is a fruitful way to signal the influence and responsibility of those who are familiar with the technology regarding the public debate. In this chapter, we seek to revise and adapt this framework to ongoing discussions in Norway as to the use of genome editing in food production.