There is a burning debate in Europe about the future of GMO regulation. The [European Court of Justice] will announce a landmark ruling on July 25. If seed companies get their way, [new breeding techniques] such as CRISPR / Cas9 could be exempted from regulation.
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To protect human health and the environment, the genetic engineering regulations prescribe preventive measures. They thus follow the so-called precautionary principle: Potential damage to the environment and health should be avoided in advance.
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If the [new breeding techniques] are not regulated like genetic engineering, genetically modified plants will come onto the market without risk assessment and labeling. There are then:
- no mandatory risk assessment for humans and the environment,
- no labeling of genetically modified products,
- no mandatory safety measures to prevent contamination of non-GMO products,
- and no possibility to temporarily restrict or prohibit the use of the product in case of danger to health or the environment.
Editor’s note: This article was originally published in German. This English summary has been prepared with Google Translate and lightly edited for clarity.
Read full, original article: Regulate new genetic engineering methods