On Tuesday 5 December, several European scientists published a joint statement warning against the authorisation in the EU of plants derived from new genetic engineering (new genomic techniques, or NGTs) which, in their view, “are not risk assessed”.
The signatories (experts in molecular biology, technology assessment, environmental sciences and medicine) from Germany, Spain, Switzerland and the United Kingdom are opposed to the European Commission’s legislative proposal. They point out that it ignores the main differences between new genetic engineering and conventional breeding, as well as the associated risks (see EUROPE 13306/11).
“The proposal cannot ensure health or environmental safety if NGT plants or products derived thereof are released into the environment or placed on the EU market”, say the scientists in question. They are calling for the proposal to be rejected or significantly amended.
According to the experts, previous genetic engineering methods involved transferring genes across plant or species boundaries to obtain new characteristics (transgenics). Today, NGTs make it possible to modify the characteristics of a species to an extent that would be impossible, or at least highly unlikely, using conventional selection, even without the insertion of additional genes.
Further information: https://aeur.eu/f/9zb (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)