EU eases rules for plants created through gene editing

the genetic material of animals, plants or microorganisms (such as yeast or bacteria). They do not require the introduction of foreign genetic material or DNA from another species. This distinguishes them from older methods used to create genetically modified organisms (GMOs), which involve inserting foreign genetic material into an organism to create a hybrid. Supporters of the technology argue that such changes to an organism can occur naturally in nature or during normal breeding. The new rules exempt many plants created using new genomic technologies (GM) from the bloc’s strict rules on genetically modified (GM) crops and food. They also allow for the relaxation of requirements for products modified using new genomic technologies. This will allow such products to be sold in supermarkets in the future without special labelling. Patents have been a major stumbling block in the negotiations, with the European Parliament initially calling for a ban ...