UK gives green light to Crisper experiments on wheat

Three years ago, the European Court of Justice ruled that mutated organisms should be classified as Grispo GMOs using new genetic engineering. This means that crops produced with the help of “genetic scissors” often have to undergo lengthy and expensive testing. This has slowed technological development within the EU.

But in the United Kingdom, no longer a member of the Union and therefore not under decision, the state has now, for the first time, approved a field test to be replaced with wheat assistance. Crisprin, Euractive says.

The purpose of the experiments was to produce wheat with a low content of the amino acid asparagine. When baking or toasting bread this substance is converted into a carcinogenic substance called acrylamide.

Rothamstadt’s research institute will carry out the experiment with genetic scissors. They have been testing genetically modified crops since the 1990s.

The trial will last five years. The research institute sows wheat in September and October each year and harvests it in September next year. However, so far, they only have funding for the first year.

Critics think the scope of the experiments is too trivial, given the risks involved in planting genetically modified crops in open ground. For example, the risk of cancer from that burnt food has not been established, they say.