Banned in Switzerland?

A "vote no" campaign is set to begin on a Swiss referendum to be held in 1998 - most likely next June - which could prompt an exodus of Swiss biotech expertise. The Swiss people will be voting on whether Switzerland should forbid the use of transgenic animals for any purposes, not recognize any biotech patents, and forbid the planting and cultivation of any genetically modified organisms, although this would not bar the importation of processed products derived from biotech.

The referendum cannot necessarily be taken as evidence of widespread antagonism towards biotech among the Swiss population. Under the Swiss constitution, a referendum can be called if 100,000 Swiss citizens, from the country's 7 million population, ask for one...