European advice on ethics of genome editing

The European Group on Ethics in Science and New Technologies (EGE), an independent advisory body to the European Commission,  published its Opinion on the ethics of genome editing.  With respect to gene editing in plants (page 93), the EGE recognizes that the introduction of new genome edited plants into the agricultural environment may be beneficial in providing products for an increasing population and in facing the impact of climate change. The EGE recommends that regulation should be proportional to the risk and that ‘light touch’ regulation should be used where the modification achieved by genome editing is through techniques such as gene silencing or where the change in the plant could have been achieved naturally or where the editing involves the introduction of genetic material from sexually compatible plants. The European Commission is expected to publish a report on gene editing in April.