Gene Editing consultation launches in England

Gene Editing consultation launches in England

Written by Defra Press Office

There is widespread coverage today in The Financial Times, The Times, Daily Telegraph, The Guardian, The Daily Mail, Daily Express and other publications, reporting on the launch of a 10-week consultation on the future of gene editing.

Announced by the Environment Secretary, George Eustice, this morning at the Oxford Farming Conference the consultation could unlock substantial benefits to nature and the environment, helping farmers produce more resilient crops and to produce healthier, more nutritious food.

The consultation will focus on stopping certain gene editing organisms from being regulated in the same way as genetic modification, as long as they could have been produced naturally or through traditional breeding.

Aside from gene editing, the consultation will also begin a longer-term project to gather evidence on updating our approach to genetic modification by gathering information on what controls are needed and how best to deliver them.

Speaking at the Oxford Farming Conference today (Thursday), Environment Secretary George Eustice will say:

“Gene editing has the ability to harness the genetic resources that mother nature has provided, in order to tackle the challenges of our age. This includes breeding crops that perform better, reducing costs to farmers and impacts on the environment, and helping us all adapt to the challenges of climate change.

“Its potential was blocked by a European Court of Justice ruling in 2018, which is flawed and stifling to scientific progress. Now that we have left the EU, we are free to make coherent policy decisions based on science and evidence. That begins with this consultation.”

Further information is available here.

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