14.06.2019

The IPB has joined an initiative by the VIB Ghent and signed a position paper on the ruling of the European Court of Justice (ECJ) on genome editing. In July 2018, the ECJ ruled that crop plants generated through new methods of genome editing such as CRISPR are strictly regulated as genetically modified organisms. However, plant varieties produced with conventional mutagenesis techniques remain exempt from strict regulation, despite the lower precision of the conventional methods. The position paper now counts 115 European research institutes, universities and associations among its signatories.

Summary statement of the position paper:
Subjecting crops obtained through modern genome editing to GMO regulations will deny European consumers, producers, researchers and entrepreneurs important opportunities in sustainable agriculture. Therefore, an urgent review and amendment of the European legislation on new breeding technologies is needed. In the short term, the legislation should be altered such that crops with small DNA adaptations obtained through genome editing are not subject to the provisions of the GMO Directive but instead fall under the regulatory regime that applies to classically bred varieties. In the long term, new regulations for GMOs should be developed that are adapted to modern breeding techniques. This new directive should provide more legal certainty and evaluate new crop varieties on a scientific basis.
We therefore urge European policy makers to act to safeguard Europe’s competitiveness on all levels.

Read the full position paper and list of signatories here.