Government urged to relax rules on gene editing

Scientists, farmers and seed developers have written an open letter to the environment secretary, Michael Gove, to provide clarity on the future of gene editing following a controversial ruling by the European Court of Justice (ECJ) which found that genetic engineering should follow the same rules as genetic modification. The letter is signed by 33 organisations including the National Farmers’ Union, the John Innes Centre and Syngenta UK.

The letter asks for confirmation that the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) will continue to take a science-based approach to regulation: “We feel there are significant questions that must be addressed urgently by government if the UK is to retain its strength in plant genetics, to use innovation to boost productivity and competitiveness, and to meet the challenges of nutritional health and environmental protection.”

Liz O’Neill Director of GM Freeze believes that the ECJ ruling was an important one to ensure the safety of our food and environment:

“It’s no surprise that the agri-tech lobby are unhappy with the European Court of Justice’s view that genome editing is GM, but it’s very important to consider just what they are objecting to. The ECJ ruling doesn’t ban anything. The ruling ensures that anyone who changes a plant’s DNA in the lab will have to go through a proper risk assessment before growing it in a field. It means they will have to monitor the crop for any negative impacts. And it means they will have to label foods made with it so that people can choose whether or not to eat it. All forms of genetic engineering can give rise to both unexpected changes and unpredictable real world impacts, so they all need to be properly regulated – to safeguard our food, our farms and the wider environment.”

Responding in a Food Navigator article a spokesperson for Defra said that the government would “consider” the points raised in the letter and issue a reply “in due course.”