Policy background
- The current GMO legislation, most of which derives from retained European Union (EU) law, is over 30 years old and has not kept pace with scientific developments and knowledge of the environmental impacts associated with precision breeding technologies. Current GMO legislation is also not reflective of the risk of organisms produced by modern biotechnology when the final product could have been produced by traditional breeding methods. Advice from the independent scientific committee - the Advisory Committee on Releases to the Environment (ACRE) is that PBOs pose no greater risk than their traditionally bred or naturally arising counterparts 1 .
- This Act aligns with the scientific view of groups such as the EU Commission’s Scientific Advice Mechanism, the European Academies’ Scientific Advisory Council and the UK’s Royal Society, as well as ACRE, who consider that it is the nature of the genetic change – and not the technique by which it was produced – that determines the risk posed by an organism and should therefore determine whether an organism should be regulated as a GMO 2 .
- Defra held a public consultation from 7 January to 17 March 2021, to gather views on the regulation of genetic technologies in England 3 . This focused on organisms, which are the product of precision breeding technologies such as gene editing that result in genetic changes similar to those found naturally in varieties of the same species, or in very similar species that could be combined by traditional breeding. The consultation received no new scientific evidence indicating that PBOs should be regulated as GMOs, and many responses expressed the view that GMOs are demonstrably different to the products of precision breeding.
- In addition to public consultation, both Defra and the FSA undertook additional stakeholder engagement. This engagement included workshops, round table discussions, public polling, and consumer research. This engagement assisted both agencies by providing insight into academia, industry, and the public’s perceptions, understanding the appetite for these modern technologies. The Government will continue to engage with stakeholders to seek views and to continue to develop policy in this area.
- Defra and the FSA have also investigated international approaches to the regulation and food safety standards of Precision Bred and Novel Foods.
