Genome editing plants in the UK in the field

In mid-January, the British Parliament passed a law permitting research and field trials in the UK with plants created using genome editing methods such as CRISPR/Cas. The UK Department for Agriculture (Defra) emphasizes that this sets the UK apart from the restrictive EU regulations. The relaxed regulations apply to modified plants that are similar to those that could have been produced more slowly using traditional, conventional breeding methods. The resulting GM plants will continue to be classified as GMOs. The Department for Agriculture must be informed of any relevant research trials. Both the commercial cultivation of these plants and their further processing into food still require approval under existing regulations.