The 2018 European Court of Justice decision that gene-edited organisms require the same regulatory oversight as transgenic modification will no longer constrain research and application in the U.K., with the Nation no longer a member of the E.U.  The decision made by the Conservative Party Government of Boris Johnson fulfills the 2019 pre-election pledge to “liberate the U.K. bioscience sector from anti-genetic modification rules.” 

The change is described in an article by Erik Stokstad in the May 28th. edition of Science. Prospective products include hogs resistant to porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome, wheat with low asparagine content to reduce carcinogenic acrylamide and a number of vegetable crops and fruits offering advantages in quality.  Research on enhancing crop and livestock production applying CRISPR is underway at the Rothamsted Research Center and the Sainsbury Laboratory. 

The change in policy in the U.K.  is regarded by many, including Dr. Tina Barsby, CEO of the National Institute of Agricultural Botany, as “the most significant policy breakthrough in plant breeding for more than two decades.”  The decision by the Government has predictably elicited opposition from diehard opponents of GM.

It is ironic that the decision in the U.K. appears to be influencing the European Union. Scientists and administrators are now viewing CRISPR technology as a means to enhance sustainability, a major consideration for the Common Agricultural Program.  Although the European Commission is willing to make concessions for CRISPR, the European Parliament which includes a strong representation of members of Green Parties of constituent Nations still maintains an anti-GMO policy.