CST Releases Letter for the UK Prime Minister Regarding GM Technologies

UK Council for Science and Technology released a letter to the Prime Minster about the risks and benefits of biotechnology and what the government can do to enhance the quality of debate, decision-making and regulation in the UK and Europe.

It was stressed in the letter that the public should have confidence in the consensus on the scientific evidence that GM products are as safe as their conventional counterparts. Despite this growing evidence, regulations of GM commercialization remain to be stringent than that imposed on crops developed through conventional breeding.

The letter cited reports of highly-credible institutions about biotechnology. One report mentioned was the 2009 Royal Society report titled "Reaping the benefits" which provides sound bases of evidence on GM in food production. CST also endorsed the EASAC report which recommended re balancing of the EU regulatory process to focus on products rather than technologies, and on risk-benefit instead of the risk per se. Thus, CST asked for a right regulatory framework that will encourage continued research into solutions to current and future problems facing UK agriculture.

Read the letter at https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/288823/cst-14-634-gm-technologies.pdf.