A European Commission ("EC") spokesperson has confirmed that a legal analysis discussing
whether new plant breeding techniques should or should
not fall under EU GMO legislation will be completed by the first
quarter of 2016. The technologies under consideration include
gene-editing techniques, cisgenesis, intragenesis (technologies
using transformation with genetic material restricted to the
species' own gene pool), emerging techniques to induce
controlled mutagenesis or insertion (ODM, Zinc Finger Nuclease
technologies 1-3), and other applications such as grafting on GM
rootstocks or reverse breeding. Plants derived from such new
breeding techniques contain no foreign DNA and arguably may have
developed naturally by chance mutations or through an application
of classic mutagenesis. The International Federation of Organic
Agriculture Movements EU has published a position paper urging the EC to classify such
techniques as falling within the scope of the GMO legislation.
However, supporters of the technology argue
that such techniques show great technical potential and are
necessary to meet the challenges of global changes such as
population growth and climate change. Whatever the outcome of the
EC's analysis is, the spokesperson from the Commission reminded
that "it is the sole prerogative of the European Court of
Justice to provide a final and binding opinion on the
interpretation of EU law."
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