Health Canada has finalized a decision that should pave the way for crop breeding innovation in Canada.
After years of reviewing the data and lengthy public consultations, on May 18 Health Canada clarified “when food products developed through plant breeding (will) require a mandatory pre-market assessment.”
Health Canada has decided that crops developed through gene editing are safe and, in most cases, will not require a pre-market safety assessment.
“This will open up the very real possibility of dramatic improvements for small- and large-acre crops alike, from productivity improvements to new solutions for emerging pest pressures to advances in food and fuel crops that will benefit the entire value chain including consumers,” said Rick White, chair of the Canada Grains Council.
If a scientist uses gene editing to develop a new crop that includes foreign DNA, that will trigger a pre-market assessment.
As well, transgenic crops (using old genetically modified technology) will also require a pre-market assessment.
The Health Canada decision means Canada’s policy on gene-edited crops will be aligned with other countries – including the United States, Japan, Argentina and Australia. They have all concluded that gene-edited crops are safe and should be treated similar to conventionally bred crops.
This is an excerpt. Read the original post here
