The European Union called on Thursday to define "
a new legal framework
" for products resulting from the genetic technique of mutagenesis, after a study judging the regulations on GMOs "
unsuitable
" for these controversial biotechnologies.
Read also: Are "new GMOs" really safe for the environment?
Mutagenesis is one of the “
new breeding techniques
”, which allows the genome of plants to be modified without inserting a foreign gene, much faster and more precisely.
In July 2018, the Court of Justice of the EU ruled that the products resulting from mutagenesis were indeed genetically modified organisms (GMOs) and should therefore be subject to the same strict rules and precautions (authorization, traceability, labeling and surveillance) .
Consequently, the Commission had ordered an in-depth study summarizing the various scientific opinions, in order to determine whether these biotechnologies could be exempted from the obligations of the GMO Directive (which dates from 2001) or if the latter should be amended to include them.
Inappropriate regulation
The report resulting from this order, published Thursday, estimates that the legislation struggles to keep pace with scientific developments. Its authors consider that "
the current regulation on GMOs is not suitable for plants produced by targeted mutagenesis and cisgenesis
", and that "
it is necessary to adapt it to scientific and technological progress
" to be "
ready for the future
”. "
The Commission will now begin a wide and open consultation to discuss the development of a new legal framework for these biotechnologies
", reacted the European executive in a press release.
Main argument of the study: Without the presence of foreign DNA, it is difficult to detect the changes caused in the genome of a species by these new methods, because it is impossible to determine whether these changes are due to mutagenesis or simply to "
a natural mechanism (selection and crossing) or techniques (chemical, radiation ...) not subject to GMO regulations
", warns the report.
These techniques have made it possible to develop seed varieties resistant to certain herbicides, the status of which has been debated for several years.
They are considered necessary by a large part of the agricultural organizations to maintain the competitiveness, in particular, of the seed sector.
Reactions from environmental NGOs
Environmental NGOs are worried about a relaxation of the conditions for the marketing of these new types of GMOs. "
The Commission is opening up gloomy prospects (...) It suggests getting rid of decades governed by the precautionary principle, by authorizing these + new GMO crops + in our fields and our plates
", lamented Mute Schimpf, of the NGO Friends of the Earth.
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