Regulate new GMOs responsibly – recommendations for the new Government
GM Freeze has published recommendations for how new-style GMOs should be regulated, with a call for the new government to abandon the reckless approach of the Conservatives.
Consumers who want to know if there are new-style GMOs in the food they buy should write to their new MPs with the regulations, and ask their preferred supermarkets to do the same (contact details below).
The deregulation of Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) was high on the post-Brexit agenda of the Conservative Government, which passed the Genetic Technology (Precision Breeding) Act in 2023. This recategorised some forms of GMOs as ‘Precision Bred Organisms’ (PBOs), paving the way for their sweeping deregulation. But the process was not quite complete: when the general election was called in May secondary legislation, which will codify how the new GMOs will be authorised, had not yet been placed before parliament.
“The new government must take this opportunity to abandon the cavalier approach of the Conservatives,” said GM Freeze’s Leonie Nimmo. “Their plans for deregulation would have meant the betrayal of consumers, disregard for the devolved nations and a reckless approach to trade. There were no plans for environmental risk assessment or independent safety analysis. This must change.”
“Labelling and traceability of new-style GMOs are fundamental to a responsible regulatory framework. It is what consumers want, what the European Parliament have voted for, and what some retailers in Europe have called for. The government has estimated that a divergent regulatory system to Europe could negatively impact £8.56 billion worth of trade. This could have a catastrophic impact on British producers, which should be averted,” said Nimmo.
Read GM Freeze’s Breifing: GMF Briefing_Robust regulations for new GMOs.
They are published alongside a longer report on the problems with the regulatory approach under the Conservative Government: GMF Report_Problems with draft PBO regs
Members of the public who want their elected representatives to take the regulations forward can use the ‘They work for you’ website to contact their MPs.
You can also write to you preferred supermarket using the following contact details:
| Aldi | help.aldi.co.uk/s/contact-form-other |
| ASDA | corporate.asda.com/newsroom/contact-media-relations |
| Booths | www.booths.co.uk/contact-us/ |
| Co-op | www.coop.co.uk/contact-us; pressoffice@coop.co.uk; Sustainability.report@coop.co.uk |
| Iceland | www.iceland.co.uk/customer-support/contact-us; mediaenquiries@iceland.co.uk |
| Lidl | customer-service.lidl.co.uk/SelfServiceUK/s/contactsupport; csr@lidl.co.uk |
| Morrisons | www.morrisons.com/help/form/contact-us; sustainability@morrisonsplc.co.uk |
| Ocado | help.ocado.com/hc/en-us/requests/new; ocadoretail@tulchangroup.com |
| Sainsburys | Food_DrinkPR@sainsburys.co.uk; press_office@sainsburys.co.uk |
| Spar | www.spar.co.uk/contact-us/ |
| Tesco | www.tesco.com/help/contact; press.office@tesco.com |
| Waitrose | customerserviceteam@waitrose.co.uk; waitrosefood@johnbrownmedia.com |
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