Governments all over the world are struggling with the regulatory status of
gene-edited organisms. Should they be regulated? A paper authored by René
Custers from VIB in Flanders, Belgium focuses on the regulatory status of
gene-edited organisms within the European regulatory framework.

A stepwise analysis is performed that comes to the conclusion that
gene-edited agricultural products that carry edits that can also occur
naturally by mating and/or natural recombination are not genetically
modified organisms. They are not subject to the provisions of EU
legislation, and they are outside the scope of the EU GMO definition.

On the question of whether they should be regulated, it is argued that it is
difficult to require regulatory oversight that would go beyond what we now
require for conventional products that can carry the same types of
alterations. A regulatory approach is pleaded for that abides to fundamental
principles of law making, and which allows for gene editing to be developed
responsibly.

[www.emergtoplifesci.org]