British lawmakers could soon relax restrictions on genetically altered foods, with new legislation proposing to allow for more “gene editing” on certain crops while insisting they will not constitute “genetically modified organisms” (GMOs), which are subject to heavy regulation.
The new ‘Genetic Technology’ bill was introduced in parliament on Wednesday, described by the UK Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs as a way to “cut red tape and support the development of innovative tech to grow more resistant, more nutritious, and more productive crops.”
“These precision technologies allow us to speed up the breeding of plants that have natural resistance to diseases and better use of soil nutrients so we can have higher yields with fewer pesticides and fertilisers,” Environment Secretary George Eustice said in a statement, adding that “Outside the EU we are free to follow the science.”
The European Union currently defines gene-edited foods as a form of GMO and regulates them accordingly, in contrast with the US Department of Agriculture, which distinguishes between the two for regulatory purposes.