by Kit Knightly, Off Guardian:
Have you heard? Gene-edited crops and livestock are here to solve all our problems!
Yes, everything from pandemics to the cost of living crisis to climate change is about to get so much better.
Isn’t that a relief?
Five days ago, the WaPo reported that “gene-editors” were:
TRUTH LIVES on at https://sgtreport.tv/
working to genetically engineer the cow microbiome — and in the process, eliminate methane emissions.
Three weeks earlier the same outlet reported on gene-edited trees for making paper.
In the UK we can expect the first gene-edited wheat to be harvested this year. In the US, gene-edited salad leaves aren’t far behind.
Japan approved “super-tomatoes” that can “lower your blood pressure” years ago now.
Genetically edited potatoes are being created in South America. Wheat in Egypt. Cotton and maize in Ethiopia.
Back in 2022, I reported that gene-edited foods were already being sold to the public as “cheaper”, “more nutritious” and “preventing future pandemics”.
Two weeks ago The Japan Times declared:
“It’s time to embrace a new era of gene-edited food
Now, in case you’re concerned, let me assure you they are talking about gene-edited food, which is great, NOT genetically modified organisms (GMOs), which we all know are a bad thing.
But what’s the actual difference?
It’s hard to tell sometimes, not least because the MSM still tend to use the terms interchangeably (for example the above Japan Times article uses “gene-edited” in the headline, but “GMOs” in the sub-head).
Let’s check the UK government’s handy DEFRA fact sheet from 2021 for some clarification [emphasis added]:
Gene editing should not be confused with genetic modification (known as GM). Genetically modified organisms are those where DNA from a different species has been introduced into another. Gene edited organisms generally do not contain DNA from different species, they contain changes that could be made more slowly using traditional breeding methods.
…did you spot the super special loophole word?
Let’s zoom in for a closer look.
Gene edited organisms GENERALLY do not contain DNA from different species
Hmmm. What an odd place to insert the word “generally”. A cynical person might say its presence renders the entire sentence meaningless.
Nevermind, just rest assured that there definitely is a difference, even if that difference happens to be largely regulatory.
Again, from the DEFRA fact sheet:
At the moment, following a European Court of Justice ruling in 2018, gene editing is regulated in the same way as genetic modification. The UK Government is consulting on changing these rules in England, allowing gene editing research to be used to produce beneficial crops and livestock
Ah, interesting…..
Would it surprise you to learn that the UK government has now changed those rules, via the Genetic Technology (Precision Breeding) Act 2023.
As of now the previous regulation on GM organisms no longer applies to “genetically edited” organisms.
The Act itself eschews “Genetically Edited” in favour of “Precision bred” (probably because it sounds more natural), and defines a “precision bred” organism as follows:
