Nina

Samantha

Eaindra

Ben AdrianEmma

Should the UK legalise GMOs

after Brexit?

Grand Challenges 17Food for Thought

My World

1

2

What do you understand by the phrase GMO?

Potential risks of GMOs have been proposed

• Extreme monoculture

• Gene insertions may result in unpredictable

outcomes.

• More efficient pathogens and “superweeds” to

evolve.

• Escape of genes into wild populations.

• Ethical concerns about monopolies.

3

• Bain, C., Selfa, T., Dandachi, T. and Velardi, S. (2017) ‘Superweeds or survivors Framing the

problem of glyphosate resistant weeds and genetically engineered crops’,

• Barrows, Geoffrey et al. (2014). Cambridge University Press. The impact of

agricultural biotechnology on supply and land-use

These concerns can be addressed by science

Gene transfer:

• Extremely low in frequency

• Negligible risks.

Unpredictable outcomes:

• Rigorous testing.

4

• Keese, Paul. (20th September 2008). Risks from GMOs

due to Horizontal Gene Transfer. EDP science

• Dr Dobert, Ray (21st December 2015). Think GMOs

Aren't Regulated? Think Again.

Advantages of GMO agriculture

• Higher yield of crop

per given area

• Less space required

• Higher revenue from

yield

• Pharming - Added

value crops

• Pathogen and pest

resistance

• Weather resistance

(Gómez-Barbero, Berbel and Rodríguez-Cerezo, 2008), (Davison, 2010), (Bain et al., 2017), (Schmidt, 1984), (Ehlers, 2011), (Chater, 1990), (GMO Compass,

2014), (EFSA GMO Panel, 2009)5

Would you eat genetically modified foods?

Do you support the use of Genetically

Modified Organisms in the food industry?

2014: YouGov Survey results

6

Questionnaire results

http://www.gmfreeme.org/gmos-how-does-your-supermarket-stack-up/7

8

Legal and Economical Impacts of GMO use

International Protocols (transboundary):● Cartegena Protocol ● Nagoya- Kuala Lumpur Protocols

Legal status

• UK: Restrictive approach

• Main legislation: Environmental Protection Act 1990

• Environmental

– EU Directive 2001/18

– Genetically Modified (Deliberate Release) Regulations 2002

• Food

– EU Regulations 1829/2003 and 1830/2003

– Genetically Modified Food (England) Regulations 2004

– Genetically Modified Feed (England) Regulations 2004

– Genetically Modified Organisms (Traceability and Labelling) (England) Regulations 2004

9

Legal status

• UK government policy: GM foods are a tool to address:

– global food security,

– climate change and

– sustainable agricultural protection

• Brexit means EU Directives and Regulations no longer apply

• UK can repeal current legislation and reform the law!

10

Economic StatusCurrently:

• Britain imports approximately 40% of food consumed

• Estimated revenue loss of £4 billions due to the GM restrictions

Example:

• Current cereal self-sufficiency:

-11.8% comparing to 2015

11

There are significant economic prospects of using GMOs

• Greater food security

– possibility to import less foods for animals

– farming benefits

• More investment into R&D

• Greater trade relations

Limitations:

• Availability of land

• Costs related to imports and exports (exchange costs)

• Costs related to introduction of GMO

12

Conclusion• Safe:

– Negligible biological threats

– Vigorous risk assessments

• EU Directives and Regulations no longer apply after Brexit

• Economic benefits

• Increase food security to support growing population due to

– Higher yield

– More nutrition

13

14

Conclusion

Bibliography• Adam Vaughn, Public Concern over GM Food Has Lessened, Survey Shows, The Guardian

(Mar. 9, 2012), <http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2012/mar/09/gm-food-public-

concern> Martin Robbins, Hulk Smash GM Crops, The Guardian (May 30, 2012) (accessed on 5

June 2017)

• Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (DEFRA), Making the Food and Farming

Industry More Competitive While Protecting the Environment: Genetic Modification, Gov.uk (July

24, 2013), <https://www.gov. uk/government/ policies/making-the-food-and-farming-industry-

more-competitive-while-protecting-the-environment/supporting-pages/genetic-modification>

(accessed on 6 June 2017)

• Ian Sample, Special Report: The Return of GM: Biotech Firm Mans Barricades as Campaigners

Vow to Stop Trials, The Guardian, Feb. 16, 2008

• European Commission Press Release: More Freedom for the Member States to Use GMO Food

and Feed, 22 April 2015 <http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_IP-15-4777_en.htm> (accessed

on 7 June 2017)

• European Commission: EU Register of authorised GMOs

<http://ec.europa.eu/food/dyna/gm_register/index_en.cfm> (accessed on 7 June 2017).

15

• Bain, C., Selfa, T., Dandachi, T. and Velardi, S. (2017) ‘Superweeds or survivors Framing the

problem of glyphosate resistant weeds and genetically engineered crops’, Journal of Rural

Studies. Elsevier Ltd, 51, pp. 211–221. doi: 10.1016/j.jrurstud.2017.03.003.

• Chater, K. F. (1990) ‘The improving prospects for yield increase by genetic engineering in

antibiotic-producing Streptomycetes’, Biotechnology (N Y). doi: 10.1038/nbt0290-115.

• Davison, J. (2010) ‘GM plants: Science, politics and EC regulations’, Plant Science, 178(2), pp.

94–98. doi: 10.1016/j.plantsci.2009.12.005.

• EFSA GMO Panel (2009) ‘Opinion on application reference EFSA-GMO-RX-Bt11 for renewal of

the authorisation of existing products produced from insect-resistant genetically modified maize

Bt11, under Regulation (EC) No 1829/2003 from Syngenta’, EFSA Journal. doi:

10.2903/j.efsa.2009.977.

• Ehlers, U. (2011) ‘Interplay between GMO regulation and pesticide regulation in the EU’, Journal

fur Verbraucherschutz und Lebensmittelsicherheit. doi: 10.1007/s00003-011-0672-9.

• GMO Compass (2014) ‘Genetically modified plants: Global cultivation on 174 million hectares’,

GMO Compass.

• Gómez-Barbero, M., Berbel, J. and Rodríguez-Cerezo, E. (2008) ‘Bt corn in Spain--the

performance of the EU’s first GM crop.’, Nature biotechnology, 26(4), pp. 384–386. doi:

10.1038/nbt0408-384.

Bibliography

16

• Schmidt, J. W. (1984) ‘Genetic Contributions to Yield Gains in Wheat’, in Genetic Contributions

to Yield Gains of Five Major Crop Plants. doi: 10.2135/cssaspecpub7.c5.

• Barrows, Geoffrey et al. (2014). Cambridge University Press. The impact of agricultural

biotechnology on supply and land-use. Environment and Development Economics.Volume 19,

issue 6. <https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/environment-and-development-

economics/article/impact-of-agricultural-biotechnology-on-supply-and-landuse/>

• Keese, Paul. (20th September 2008). Risks from GMOs due to Horizontal Gene Transfer. EDP

science (Environ. Biosafety Res) 123 – 149. Available at: https://www.ebr-

journal.org/articles/ebr/pdf/2008/03/ebr0742.pdf

• Dr Dobert, Ray (21st December 2015). Think GMOs Aren't Regulated? Think Again. [Online]

forbes.com. Available at: <https://www.forbes.com/sites/gmoanswers/2015/12/21/how-are-gmos-

regulated/>

Bibliography

17