* The EU is considering the exclusion of gene-edited plants and animals from GM regulations, write Janet Cotter and Ricarda Steinbrecher. However gene-edited organisms clearly fall within the definition of GMOs in both European and international law. They also present real risks to the environment and human health – and must be regulated like any other GMOs.
There has been a lot in the news recently about the ethics of gene editing in humans.
But, as yet largely unnoticed is that the European Commission is considering whether the gene-editing of plants and animals, for example in agriculture, falls outside the scope of EU regulations governing genetically modified organisms (GMOs).