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The Genetic Technology (Precision Breeding) Bill: FSA Paper – Updated for Next Board Meeting on the 22nd March

The next FSA Board Meeting is on the 22nd of March and part of the agenda includes The Genetic Technology (Precision Breeding) Bill. The FSA will be providing an update on progress and an indicative timescale for the delivery of the new regulatory framework.

The paper here includes the latest research on consumer perceptions of precision breeding (published on 9th March). As a summary, consumers said:

- they saw a range of risks and benefits to Precision Bred (PB) food but the benefits outweighed the risks if properly regulated;
- they trust the FSA to regulate PB food;
- the public register builds towards confidence and reassurance;
- more proactive information provision (public education campaign, education in school curriculum, labelling, for example) would reassure them that regulation was happening;
- they wanted labelling to enable them to make choices at the point of purchase.

It also shares international approaches to PB food and feed, specifically in the European Union, Argentina, Canada, Japan and Switzerland.

Interesting read of the updates and something that is being followed closely for BRC members, especially the timescales and resources, as well as development in the UK (as the bill applies to England for now). We will keep discussing PB in our emerging risks and chemical contaminants working group.