The British government claims its new plans to allow gene-editing are nothing more than traditional breeding methods sped up by modern technology. But some experts are disputing this, arguing the technology is imprecise and will open the door to the “wild west” of genetics.
The plans, laid out in the Genetic Technology Bill on May 25, have been broadly—if not uniformly—welcomed by the farming community including the National Farmers Union.
If the government gets its way, the production of genetically-engineered animals and plants is just around the corner.
The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) promises food producers will be able to “develop plant varieties and animals with beneficial traits that could also occur through traditional breeding and natural processes but in a more efficient and precise way.”…