In some circles, the recent decision from the European Union Court of Justice that new gene-editing techniques must go through the same lengthy approval process as traditional transgenic genetically modified (GM) plants, was received in shock.
The decision will have a direct impact on European biotech companies trying to compete in a global market. Sarah Schmidt of the Heinrich Heine University of Düsseldorf, Germany, called the ruling “the death blow for plant biotech in Europe. It will force gene-edited plants to go through a regulatory process that typically costs about $35 million …. effectively pricing out universities, non-profits, and small companies.”
According to geneticliteracyproject.org, she continued to say that the EU Parliament needs to initiate an honest conversation on the newer mutagenesis seed technology. She claimed the EU Court of Justice can’t be the last word on this subject and that the EU must follow sound science for the world to be able to feed itself.
