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EU’s high court says gene editing falls under GMO Directive

The European Union’s highest court says gene editing will be regulated by the EU’s Genetically Modified Organism Directive.

The EU court ruling means the Member States can regulate or prohibit the free movement of gene-edited goods.

The Court of Justice says organisms obtained by a process called mutagenesis are GMO’s since they are not obtained naturally, but the court also says the GMO Directive does not apply to mutagenesis-derived organisms that have conventionally been used and have a long safety record.  The line between long-standing conventional organisms and GMO is if the organism was produced before or after the GMO Directive was adopted in 2015.

The court case began when a French agricultural union representing small-scale farms teamed up with eight other groups to challenge France’s exemption of organisms obtained by mutagenesis.

See the court’s summary here:

07.25.18 EU Court summary on mutagenesis under GMO Directive