20/January/22

 

The Westminster government has released the draft text of the "statutory instrument" that will enable ministers to change the law governing releases of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) in field trials for research in England, without further Parliamentary debate or oversight. The proposed new law would wipe out existing protections for the environment and public health from the risks posed by these trials. It would remove the current requirement for GMO developers to submit an environmental risk assessment or seek the consent of the Secretary of State before running a GMO field trial. It is also scientifically unjustifiable. GMWatch

 

 

GMWatch has published its response to UK farm ministry DEFRA's announcement, made before the draft text was available, that new legislation will be put in place "to cut unnecessary red tape" for research on gene editing in plants. GMWatch says that the government is going against public opinion, which overwhelmingly opposes deregulation, ignores the science on the unintended effects of gene editing, and makes hollow promises of GM "wonder crops" that are highly unlikely to ever perform properly in the field. GMWatch

 

 

A new scientific publication in the journal Nature shows that the occurrence of mutations (DNA damage) in plant genomes is not random and that certain areas of the genome are protected from mutations. The study also found that the occurrence and frequency of mutations in populations does not only depend on the evolutionary mechanism of random mutation and natural selection as it has traditionally been understood. It’s possible to draw the conclusion from the study that evolution doesn’t just happen through chance, but seems to be driven by a more intelligent mechanism. GMWatch