UK drawing up post-Brexit GMO regulations

The UK’s agriculture minister George Eustice has said that the UK is looking at creating its own regulations for genetically modified organisms following Brexit.

In a written answer in the House of Commons, Eustice said, “As part of the preparations for EU exit, the government is considering possible future arrangements for the regulation of genetically modified organisms. The government’s general view remains that policy and regulation in this area should be science-based and proportionate.

Although the European bloc is one of the world’s largest GM crop importers, countries such as France and Germany have resisted the introduction of GM crops, where only a handful of species have been approved in recent decades.

There are currently no GM crops grown commercially in the UK. Scientists have hailed the possibility of that changing, and inputs colossus Monsanto is reportedly looking at working with UK scientists in a post-European Britain. Opponents of the move have said that allowing commercial-scale GM crop operations could cause cross-pollination and more resistance in weeds.