We support Beyond GM‘s legal challenge to the government’s new GMO regulations. This action “is not seeking to ‘ban’ GMOs – indeed, GMOs have never been ’banned’ in the UK. We are seeking to ensure full transparency from field to fork.“
A legal action has been launched against the UK government over new regulations that remove labelling requirements for some genetically modified organisms (GMOs), claiming the changes violate citizens’ right to know what’s in their food and risk damaging the environment.
Advocacy group Beyond GM has filed a pre-action letter, giving notice to Defra Secretary of State Steve Reed of its intention to pursue a judicial review of regulations introduced in May under the Genetic Technology (Precision Breeding) Act. The Act created a new category of GMOs called “precision bred organisms” (PBOs). The new Genetic Technology (Precision Breeding) Regulations exempt these new GMOs from the regulatory requirements that govern other GMOs.
Beyond GM’s legal team has identified potential violations of the Human Rights Act, the Aarhus Convention and the Habitats Directive. They also claim the regulations exceed what Parliament authorised by preventing safety testing that could reveal problems with these organisms.
Polls show that 80% of UK consumers want all GMOs – including PBOs – to be clearly labelled and traceable through the food chain. But under the new regulations, genetically modified PBOs can enter the food system without proper labelling, traceability systems or comprehensive safety assessments.
“These regulations are fatally flawed on a number of grounds” said Beyond Director Pat Thomas. “But this action isn’t just about the dry technicalities of regulation. It’s about a fundamental right to know what’s in our food, how our food is produced and what impacts it may have on the environment. It’s about protecting the rights of farms and food businesses in the UK that want to avoid any kind of GMOs”.
Thomas notes that in addition to this the new regulations raise concerns for Scotland and Wales, which have explicitly rejected the Genetic Technology Act and oppose GMO cultivation, but would be forced to accept unlabelled precision bred organisms in their markets under the Westminster government’s rules.
The legal challenge is supported by major organic and artisanal food producers, including Doves Farm, Daylesford Organic, Planet Organic, Abbey Home Farm, Holden Farm Dairy, Hodmedod’s and journalist and author Joanna Blythman. The business supporters of the legal action argue they face significant challenges in maintaining the integrity of their products without proper GMO labelling and traceability systems.
Beyond GM is pursuing crowdfunding through the CrowdJustice platform to fund the judicial review and has launched a dedicated website, Stop Hidden GMOs, with more information about the case. The claimants say the new regulations should be revoked before they become operational in November 2025, that a full impact assessment should be performed and that a new, more robust and inclusive process should be put in place to rewrite them in a way that is responsive to the needs of citizens and the natural world.
