Who is talking about this?!! GMOs

Who is talking about this? The Retained EU Law (Revocation and Reform) Bill was introduced to Parliament on 22nd September 2022. The Government has now set out its plans to bring forward this Bill.

Retained EU Law was never intended to sit on the statute book indefinitely. According to the UK government, the time is now right to end the special status of retained EU Law in the UK statute book on 31st December 2023.

At present, EU legislation controlling the use of GMOs was retained in the UK at the end of the transition period (after 31 December 2020). This retained legislation requires that all GE organisms are classified as GMOs irrespective of whether they could be produced by traditional breeding methods.

Genome editing, also known as gene editing, is one of the precision breeding techniques in food which includes CRISPR TECHNOLOGY that may be adopted by the government after EU Exit therefore DEFRA ran a public consultation on genetic technologies in food which opened on 7th January 2021 and closed 17th March 2021. This consultation strangely coincided with the third UK lockdown. I'm sure that this was just a coincidence.

According to the New Scientist on 25th May 2022. The aim of the UK Government's Genetic Technology {Precision Breeding) Bill is to allow gene edited crops in England to be developed and animals eat crops. The vast majority of the UK public 88% in fact are opposed to this.

The plan is to establish and maintain a public register of authorised PBOs for food and feed uses and put place arrangements to ensure the identification and traceability of food and feed produced by PB.

According to the Food Standards Agency on 13th September 2022, precision breeding is a range of genetic techniques that can alter the DNA of plants and animals in a more precise way than traditional breeding techniques. These techniques include gene editing. DNA can be added, removed or replaced in a precise manner. No authorisation for this is given in the UK at present.

The Bill is currently expected to continue its passage through the House of Commons after summer recess, and to enter the House of Lords later in the year. Royal Assent could be achieved, at the earliest, by the end of 2022. This is subject to agreement of both houses and may not take place until 2023. Once the Bill achieves Royal Assent, Secretary of State (DHSC) will be expected to make an affirmative statutory instrument (SI) on how PBOs for food and feed uses are regulated (based on advice from the FSA). The FSA will need to be ready to demonstrate how the new powers in these regulations will be used in practice.

Authorisation of PBOs in England will have impacts on the UK internal market. In Wales and Scotland, PBOs will still be classified as Genetically Modified Organisms.

PBOs authorised in England will not be permitted to be sold in Northern Ireland. In order for those products to be placed on the market in NI they will need to comply with existing EU law, which includes being authorised and labelled as GMOs.

So who is talking about this?!!!

Links include:

https://www.food.gov.uk/board-papers/fsa-22-09-04-the-genetic-technology-precision-breeding-bill

The regulation of genetic technologies - Defra - Citizen Space

Precision breeding | Food Standards Agency