The government also approved scientists’ submissions for disease-resistant potatoes, high-fat barley to feed cows and wheat containing low levels of a chemical linked to cancer.
“All new plant varieties are subject to testing. These crops will be held to the same standards, if not higher,” Professor Cathie Martin, who runs the laboratory where the tomatoes were developed, previously told the Telegraph.
Once products hit shelves, they will no longer need a label identifying them as genetically modified. Gene editing involves making small, specific changes to a product’s existing DNA or removing a section of DNA. This process differs from genetic modification, which adds new genes to crops.
The Precision Breeding Act 2022 allows crops to be modified with laboratory techniques, which can include turning off genes, making them inert, or removing them.
This can slightly change the characteristics of a culture, which could have happened naturally.
However, no genes can be inserted from different species as this would be considered genetic modification, which is not covered by the law and is illegal.
Gene editing of animals is also prohibited and is not covered by the law.
Gn Health
