The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) believes that no additional EU regulations are needed for the use of CRISPR-CAS breeding techniques. In doing so, EFSA follows an earlier ruling by the European Court of Justice which determined that the current GMO assessment criteria for DNA modification in plants are sufficient for CRISPR-CAS.
With this newly published EFSA advice on CRISPR-CAS in plant breeding last week, full approval of this technique comes a significant step closer. The European Commission had requested this EFSA advice. Earlier this year, two scientists were awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for their invention of a 'scissor' to perform the CRISPR technique.
This form of breeding allows defective or harmful parts of the DNA to be removed ('cut out') without adding new (different) DNA. According to proponents, this removes the opponents' argument that 'new nature is being created.'
This technique is already applied in chemistry and in the development of medicines, but its use in the food chain is not yet allowed in the EU. Experts now conclude that current safety assessments are sufficient: genome editing does not pose additional risks.
According to opponents, gene editing remains a controversial technology with significant concerns about human health and the environment. The European Parliament has previously stated that the current EFSA assessment criteria are not sufficient for current chemical breeding and crop protection, let alone for new DNA technologies.
“With this new advice, EFSA is simply muddying the waters. Contrary to their claims, gene editing causes new risks that differ from conventional breeding,” warned Luxembourg MEP Tilly Metz (Greens).
Dutch professor John van der Oost (Wageningen University & Research) had already shown little understanding for the resistance against Crispr-Cas. ‘Agriculture needs this technology to continue feeding the growing world population,’ the scientist recently told the LTO trade magazine Nieuwe Oogst.
‘In the entire discussion, there is far too little attention to the enormous benefits of gene editing. If we leave everything to nature, we might have to wait a few million years for the right mutation, and we don’t have that time.’
WUR chair Louise Fresco also called for a relaxation of EU rules regarding the DNA scissor technique. “The Nobel Prize should prompt the EU to ease regulations for CRISPR-Cas so that varieties can quickly reach the market that contribute to the European Green Deal and fighting hunger. This would show that Europe is working towards a socially responsible, sustainable future,” Fresco told EU politicians.