Researchers have come forward in support of a recent proposal from The Netherlands Ministry of Infrastructure and the Environment, to amend the EU Directive, on the deliberate release into the environment of genetically modified organisms (GMOs). The move questions whether the current regulatory framework for GMOs is adequate in the light of emerging technologies in the field of genome editing.
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For many of the products that very developed through genome editing, it is no longer possible to distinguish them from products created through conventional breeding …. The researchers are currently raising this argument with the policymakers ….
One solution being discussed at an EU level is the molecular tagging of genome edited crops, which is a costly and challenging strategy. “[This] would encourage the development of a system of molecular tagging in the process. So the developer should include a molecular tag so that we can trace it,” [says Dennis Eriksson from the Department of Plant Breeding of the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences].
But [why] would be …. a producer …. invest in something that would actually negatively impact their commercial interests …. These advances in technology are only leading to an intensification in discussions about how enforceable regulation will be in the future. The recent European drought will surely also cause renewed discussions around the benefits that drought-resistant crops created through GM technology could bring ….
Read full, original article: Genome editing: Advances in technology spur calls for EU law amendments around GMOs
