Hoping to fend off concerns about eating \u2018gene-edited\u2019 food, the British government claims the process it plans to legalise is different to GM \u2014 or genetic modification. With supporters claiming it will be good for planet, people, and pockets, Westminster insists \u201cediting\u201d genes is safe and, unlike GM, won\u2019t share genetic material across species.<\/p>\n
But as the bill to introduce the technique returns for its second reading in Parliament on Wednesday, the distinction has been branded a \u2018conceptual sleight of hand\u2019 with some leading scientists unconvinced it is the panacea for twenty-first century ills.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s a little bit of conceptual sleight of hand to say it\u2019s not any form of GM or genetic modification,\u201d Professor Tim Benton, a biologist with independent policy institute Chatham House, told The Epoch Times.<\/p>\n
While the National Farmers Union has welcomed the proposals, supermarkets have not yet said whether they will carry gene-edited plants, crops or animal products. But Benton thinks that, as they enter the supply chain, some will.<\/p>\n
With the plans not applying automatically to Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland, could it benefit the Englishman or woman\u2019s purse? Or anyone\u2019s?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Hoping to fend off concerns about eating \u2018gene-edited\u2019 food, the British government claims the process it plans to legalise is different to GM \u2014 or genetic modification. With supporters claiming it will be good for planet, people, and pockets, Westminster insists \u201cediting\u201d genes is safe and, unlike GM, won\u2019t share genetic material across species.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13,"featured_media":121867,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1000,1031],"tags":[],"organicbytes":[],"countries":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n