The Genetically Modified Organisms (Contained Use) Regulations 1992

Characteristics of the donor, recipient or (where appropriate) parental organism

1.  The following matters shall be investigated and assessed in relation to any organism which is or will be a donor, recipient or parental organism—

(a) the name, species, subspecies and strain of the organism;

(b) the degree of relatedness between the donor, recipient (and where appropriate the parental) organism in relation to which the assessment is being carried out;

(c) the sources of the organism;

(d) the reproductive cycle of the organism;

(e) history of prior genetic modifications to the organism;

(f) the stability of the genetic traits of the organism;

(g) the nature of the pathogenicity, virulence, infectivity, toxicity, and vectors of disease transmission of the organism;

(h) the base sequence, frequency of mobilisation and specificity of the organism’s indigenous vectors;

(i) the presence in the organism of genes which confer resistance;

(j) the host range of an organism which is a parasite or pathogen;

(k) the organism’s other potentially significant physiological traits, and the stability of those traits;

(l) the organism’s natural habitat and geographic distribution;

(m) the climatic characteristics of the organism’s natural habitat;

(n) the significant involvement of the organism in environmental processes, including nitrogen fixation and pH regulation;

(o) the interaction of the organism with other organisms in the environment and its effect on those organisms, including its likely competitive or symbiotic properties;

(p) the ability of the organism to form survival structures, including seeds, spores or sclerotia.