Loophole allows trial of gene-edited crops

GENE-EDITED super-crops are to be grown in Britain in a European-first after scientists exploited a legal loophole.

The Government has quietly approved the farming of gene-edited (GE) Camelina oilseed crops as part of a trial to super-charge the plants to produce Omega 3 oils similar to those derived from fish, one of the most popular food supplements. The pilot was approved because, unlike genetically modified (GM) plants, the Camelina oilseed crops contain no foreign DNA. Instead, they had their genetic code altered in a way that could have happened naturally.

Scientists say gene-editing can cut the time it takes to engineer new plants from decades to months. They argue that embracing the technology is vital if Britain is to help maintain a sustainable source of Omega 3 oils in face of depleted fish stocks.

The trial starts as the European Court of Justice prepares to decide whether GE plants can be legally treated as conventional crops.

Currently genetically modified foods must be approved for sale by the European Food Safety Authority and the UK Food Standards agency. They can only be sold if they are judged not to present a risk to health, not to mislead consumers, and not to have less nutritional value than non-gm counterparts.

Critics, however, accused Defra of pre-empting a decision by the court

which could end up requiring Gmstyle regulation of GE crops.

The UK trial is being carried out in collaboration with a French team because the French government will not allow any genetically altered plants in the environment for research.

Prof Johnathan Napier, who is leading the trial at Rothamsted Research centre, Herts, said: “GE is not regulated in the same way because we are not adding in foreign DNA... It is much, much quicker.”

The technique used to create the GE Camelinas involved GM technology but because the final plant does not contain foreign DNA, the Government’s scientific advisers ruled it could be treated as a conventional crop.

However, Liz O’neil, director of GM Freeze, said: “Instead of putting public health and the environment first, Defra has handed out a free pass to plant highly experimental genetically engineered crops in open fields without a proper risk assessment.”