This changes everything
The Genetic Technology (Precision Breeding) Regulations were laid before Parliament in February, sailed through both Houses in April, were signed into law in May and came into force on the 13th of November. They couldn’t be much worse.
There will be no segregation, labelling or traceability of new Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs), nor any environmental or health risk assessments. Farmers and seed breeders will be exposed to the risk of patent lawsuits, and the whole non-GMO sector (including organic) is betrayed by the lack of measures to protect against contamination.
In a last-ditch attempt to get some safeguards baked into the system, we wrote to the new top brass at the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA), urging them to review the process and consider some protective measures.
We sent them our report, Disaster by design: the UK’s new rules for new GMOs, which outlines the many problems with the newly deregulated system, and highlights the ways in which it fails to ensure that environmental, health and socioeconomic risks will be adequately managed. We encourage you to share the report with your elected representatives too.
Despite the fact that the outlook has taken a massive turn for the worse, we remain committed to working for Food and Seed Sovereignty, agroecology and an end to biopiracy and patents on life. We don’t think GMOs have a place in this vision, so we’ll continue to oppose them whatever the odds.
We’ve been talking to people along supply chains—from seed breeders to retailers—about how we can maintain the integrity of GM-free food and respect consumer freedom of choice. Stick with us.
