The European Scrutiny Committee has called for the
Government to provide more information on recent EU proposals on
gene-edited crops.
The European Commission has proposed establishing new regulations
for plants that are developed through new genomic techniques
(NGTs) such as gene-editing.
Under the EU proposals, plants that contain genetic material from
the same or a ‘crossable’ plant – that could occur naturally or
via traditional breeding – will be subject to simpler and less
onerous regulations than was previously the case. Those plants
that contain genetic material from uncrossable plants will
continue to be covered by previous EU legislation.
The EU’s existing regulations for genetically modified organisms
(GMOs) were established in 2001. But a variety of NGTs have been
developed in the following years and are not currently covered by
these regulations. A 2021 European Commission
study into the issue found that the current rules meant that
EU members were “significantly lagging” behind competitors on
NGTs.
In an Explanatory Memorandum, , the UK’s Minister of State
for Food, Farming and Fisheries, said that England was “ahead of
the EU” on this issue. He said the EU’s proposals were similar to
those set out in the Precision Breeding Act, passed in March
2023.
The Precision Breeding Act does not apply in Scotland or Wales,
which had previously chosen to align closer to the EU’s original
position. The Minister said neither country currently had plans
to amend its own approach to regulating gene-edited crops, but
said the UK Government would continue to engage with devolved
governments on the issue.
However, the Minister acknowledged that the EU understanding of
what plants should be considered equivalent to those bred
traditionally might differ from the UK’s.
, Chair of the European
Scrutiny Committee, has written to the Minister, pressing for
more information on this issue. He wrote that understanding the
difference would be critical to understanding what products an
English producer could market in Northern Ireland, compared to a
Northern Ireland producer in the same market.
Also in today’s publication:
Windsor Framework: The EU Construction Products
Regulation and UK building safety policy
This
proposed regulation would significantly change the EU’s
Construction Products Regulation, which governs how some building
materials can be described to potential buyers, for example in
terms of fire safety.
As the Regulation continues to apply in Northern Ireland, through
the Windsor Framework, it could affect UK domestic regulation of
building materials under the Building Safety Act 2022.
Windsor Framework: Packaging and packaging
waste
An EU proposal to ban unnecessary packaging and
encourage re-filling continues to apply in Northern Ireland
through the Windsor Framework. As domestic policy from the UK
Government and Devolved Administrations in this area evolves –
such as Scotland’s deposit return scheme – policymakers will need
to continue to take account of the EU’s approach.
Windsor Framework: Plant and forest reproductive
material
The European Commission has proposed changes
to its rules regulating material used for the reproduction of
plants and tree planting, which will apply in Northern Ireland
through the Windsor Framework. This will create a divergence
between the UK and EU, although the extent of that divergence is
not yet clear.
ENDS
European Scrutiny Committee
The Committee considers the legal and political importance of EU
documents deposited in Parliament by the government. Since 31
December 2020 its analysis has focused on documents that fall
within the scope of the Northern Ireland Protocol (now known as
the Windsor Framework).
