Gene-edited animals and crops to be approved in productivity boost | News

Gene editing of animals and crops will be approved under plans to use post-Brexit freedoms to improve productivity, make food more nutritious and reduce reliance on pesticides and antibiotics.

Ministers will focus initially on relaxing the rules on gene-editing plants but they also plan to allow the technology to be used on animals and intend at a later stage to make it easier to sell genetically modified produce.

Regulations will be changed by the end of the year in England to allow scientists to conduct field trials of gene-edited crops without risk assessments or obtaining consent, a process which costs between £5,000 and £10,000.

The government is also preparing primary legislation which will change the regulatory definition of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) “to exclude organisms

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