THE commercialisation of gene-edited potato varieties – such as those bred for blight resistance – is paused or subject to immediate reconsideration while Defra works out how to respond to a recent High Court ruling.
In a legal challenge brought by advocacy group Beyond GM, the High Court has ruled that the Government failed to understand the significant consequences of removing transparency and labelling for gene-edited crops and foods.
The judgment found that government advisors gave the Farming Minister incorrect advice about his own legal powers. This led to a failure to investigate the real consequences of removing safeguards on gene-edited organisms. Passing the regulations on this basis was found to be unlawful.
The judgment highlighted that lack of mandatory labelling and traceability requirements imposes substantial burdens on both organic and non-organic supply chains. This increases the difficulty and cost for growers who seek to avoid genetically-modified crops, as well as those exporting potatoes to the EU.
The current regulatory framework will now need to be reconsidered.
