The relatively new field of gene editing is a form of genetic engineering, according to a European Court of Justice ruling that would make technology such as CRISPR subject to the same regulations as the “classical” genetic modification technology of the 1980s, reported BBC News. A scientist at the British crop institute Rothamsted Research said the decision, if adopted by the European Parliament and the European Commission, “could set ag biotech in Europe back another 20 years.”
Classical genetic engineering involves introducing DNA from one organism into another organism. Gene editing removes bits of native DNA from an organism. Proponents say it is essentially a speeded-up version of traditional crop breeding and inherently safe. The development of gene editing sparked a worldwide debate over how the technique should be regulated, if at all.
The European Court of Justice decided that organisms created through mutagenesis, if they do not occur naturally, “are GMOs within the meaning of the GMO Directive. … It follows that these organisms come, in principle, within the scope of the GMO Directive and are subject to the obligations laid down by that directive.” It exempted genetically engineered organisms with a long safety record but said EU members were free to regulate them if they wished. The risk from the new gene editing techniques “might prove to be similar to those that result from production and release of a GMO through transgenesis.”
Friends of the Earth said in Washington that it applauded “this forward-thinking decision. All products made with genetic engineering, including ones made with gene-editing tools like CRISPR, should be regulated, assessed for health and environmental impacts, and labeled.” Science magazine said a French affiliate of Friends of the Earth was part of the group that requested the EU decision.
To read the two-page ECJ statement, click here.