News CISPR-Cas
Retailers against new breeding techniques
A number of large, mainly German retail chains, including Aldi and Lidl, have spoken out in a joint statement against a relaxation of European GMO legislation. This is a new player in the current discussion about CRISPR-Cas, among other things.
The retailers state that the current rules have proven their worth and guarantee the consumer's freedom of choice. For products that contain GMO (raw) materials, this must now be clearly stated on the label. With the proposed change in the regulations, gene editing techniques will no longer fall under GMO legislation and will therefore not have to be stated as such on the label.
The stores fear that the new rules could lead to untested and non-GMO labeled products on the shelf. Among the signatories of the statement are the Austrian company Rewe and the organic chain Natura.
Agricultural sector for relaxation
Farmers' interest groups, breeders and various scientists, among others, are arguing in favor of relaxing the current GMO rules. With the use of new techniques, new varieties can be developed in a more targeted and faster manner compared to traditional breeding. The proponents point out that gene editing does not use plant foreign genes and that the results can also be achieved through traditional breeding.
At the end of April, the European Commission voted in favor of a revision of the current very strict rules in the field of GMO. New gene editing breeding techniques such as CRISPR-Cas have been banned for European agriculture by a judgment of the European Court of Justice in 2018.
Jurphaas Lugtenburg
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