UK government raises the GMO stakes: open trials of gene edited crops

10th October 2024

Plans for seed multiplication trials of gene edited crops in England mark a serious escalation of the government’s plans to push genetically modified gene-edited (so called “precision-bred”) crops onto the marketplace.

The Genetic Technology Act – Does Change Begin Right Now?

15th July 2024

When Labour was in opposition it argued strenuously that the Genetic Technology Act, which hides the presence of precision bred GMOs in the food system, was not fit for purpose. Now that Labour is in power, will it follow through, scrap the inadequate legislation and start again?

TAKE ACTION: Tell Your MP ‘Precision Bred’ GMOs Must Be Labelled

10th May 2024

The majority of UK citizens want to see genetically engineered – so called ‘precision bred’ (PBO) – foods labelled. Let those in power know that upcoming changes to the Genetic Technology Act must include provisions for mandatory labelling. Email your MP now using Beyond GM’s e-action page.

EU Votes to Deregulate Gene Editing

7th February 2024

A lengthy vote in the European Parliament today has resulted in significant deregulation of gene edited organisms under new European legislation. But how favourably or unfavourably do the new rules compare to what’s going on in the UK?

Detection of new GMOs – Possible and Necessary for Transparency and Public Trust

13th January 2024

Detection of gene edited organisms is possible and detection methods must be demanded from the developer as a condition of approval of gene edited food and feed. Read the new joint briefing from Beyond GM and GMWatch.

Genetic Technologies in Food and Farming – A Manifesto for the Next Government

25th October 2023

Genetically engineered organisms in agriculture are, first and foremost, a food system and environmental issue. In recent years the UK government has sought to recontextualise them as a science and innovation issue divorced from their real world uses and consequences. Our 2024 manifesto calls for GMOs to be put back in their rightful context and for this to be the basis for rational policy and regulation of agricultural genetic technologies.

European Commission Under Fire for GMO Deregulation Proposals

14th September 2023

Experts and advocates across the spectrum of science, policymaking, consumers, civil society and ethics – including Beyond GM – gathered recently at a conference at the European Parliament to to examine the impacts of the European Commission’s proposals to deregulate what it calls New Genomic Techniques (NGTs) aka new GMOs. Their analysis was devastating.

Gene edited foods in our shops soon? Reality vs hype

7th March 2023

The UK government says gene editing will fill our shops with better food. The reality is more empty promises and more empty shelves. Although several gene-edited crops and a few animals have been approved for commercialisation over the last decade, particularly in the US and Japan, few have made it to market and most have been abandoned.

Everyone is NOT deregulating GMOs

23rd November 2022

It is ironic that, in its increasingly desperate attempts to promote its widely criticised bill, the UK government is now pushing the false narrative that the EU will be following our lead in deregulating GMOs. Here’s why it’s not true.

YouGov Poll: UK citizens demand robust regulation of GMOs

18th November 2022

A new nationwide poll shows a significant majority of adults living in the UK believe all GMOs should be traceable and labelled. The poll also shows citizens have little faith in government’s ability to regulate in a way that protects health, the environment and consumers’ right to choose