Viewpoint: Why Canada should fast track gene editing — and avoid repeating mistakes made with GMO regulation

Credit: Thinkstock
Credit: Thinkstock

Health Canada is reportedly likely to treat gene-edited crops differently than genetically-modified crops, or GMOs. That would be the right move.

That means the oversight provided by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency would look very much like what we see for conventionally-bred crops.

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Genetic modification is different from gene editing. Genetic modification typically involves artificially inserting genes into the genome of a plant or animal. Gene editing can instantly, in a very targeted way, edit parts of a genome by eliminating, correcting or adding sections to a plant’s DNA.

Gene editing typically doesn’t involve introducing genes from other species, but these techniques allow quite complex control of an organism’s genome. With gene editing, many years of research can be saved by doing similar adjustments through conventional breeding.

Biological and anti-GMO enthusiasts will claim both are the same. They simply aren’t.

Many countries, including some in Europe, are rewriting regulations for genetically-modified seeds to reflect what gene editing can do. This biological compromise is different from unnaturally crossing breeds to create a new plant.

This is welcome news for everyone, including consumers who barely understand the ramifications of such a decision.

Gene editing will impact agriculture and make our farms more efficient.

This is an excerpt. Read the original post here.

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