Cymraeg For immediate release
DEFRA’s proposals to deregulate gene-editing and GMOs will have major adverse impacts on agroecological and organic farmers, says union
On 7 January 2021, DEFRA launched an online consultation on the regulation of gene technologies and, notably, the technique of ‘gene editing’. Gene editing techniques, such as CRISPR, are supposed to allow for lab-based changes to DNA to give plants, animals, and other organisms specific traits such as disease resistance.
Speaking at the Oxford Farming Conference, Environment Secretary George Eustice put forward the government’s position that “gene editing has the ability to harness the genetic resources that mother nature has provided, in order to tackle the challenges of our age”.
Regulations provide important safeguards
But according to the Landworkers’ Alliance, a union of more than 1000 small and medium-scale farmers and landworkers across the UK, DEFRA is using the consultation to push a high-tech, industrial agenda for deregulation which will have major adverse impacts on all agricultural and food systems, and especially agroecological and organic farmers.
Miranda Geelhoed, Policy and Campaigns Officer for Scotland at the Landworkers’ Alliance said: “Regulations provide important safeguards against health, environmental and agricultural risks through assessments, monitoring and traceability and labelling rules. As a union of agroecological farmers who rely on natural resources and GM-free markets, we feel very strongly about keeping such checks in place. It does not matter in this regard whether we talk about gene-editing or GMOs more broadly.”
Recognising what is at stake
The use of genetic technologies can have significant impacts on farmers, explained Dr Antonio Onorati from the European Coordination Via Campesina, which represents rural workers and farmers organisations in Europe. These include financial impacts related to contamination, which affect the ability of farmers to sell under organic or GM-free logos. “Biotechnology also threatens international farmers’ rights which give farmers the freedom to select, cultivate, harvest and exchange uncontaminated seeds,” continued Dr Onorati. “And, as it stands, gene-editing is regulated by the EU so if the UK fails to align there will be implications for market access”.
Finally, Ms Geelhoed added that the UK government should focus its efforts on supporting and promoting agroecological and organic farming. “DEFRA repeats a common misconception that GMOs are necessary to tackle important challenges such as food security and climate change. We promote a food system within which farmers work together with nature and within which people are empowered to decide on what they eat. It is crucial that the discussion on gene-editing is not reduced to a technical debate, but that we recognise what is at stake here – our future food system. This means that all voices need to be heard and this includes voices of actors from the devolved nations, as the proposals may be limited to England, but the impacts will be felt across the UK”.
ENDS
For media enquiries, please contact Miranda Geelhoed on miranda.geelhoed@
