Gene-edited Crops Helps the World To Ensure People’s Food Security

A law that would permit the commercial cultivation and sale of gene-edited crops, which are now prohibited by European Union regulations that still apply to the nation, was introduced in the UK in May.

The law will provide British farmers with more resources to produce more dependable and nutrient-rich food if it is passed.

U.K. crop gene-editing Bill is a possibility for food security

(Photo : Markus Spiske/Unsplash)

The British government has worked to depart from onerous EU regulations on genetically modified crops since the country's withdrawal from the EU in January 2020, as per Foreign Policy.

Former prime minister Boris Johnson's team claimed earlier this year that relaxing restrictions would be good for the environment and would align Britain with key trading partners.

To make it simpler for researchers to test-grow gene-edited crops outdoors, new regulations were approved by Parliament in March.

However, the proposed legislation, dubbed the Genetic Technology (Precision Breeding) Bill, would be the government's most significant move to date.

The plan will assist assure food security while simultaneously reducing the environmental effects of agriculture if it is passed, which may occur before the end of the year.

In order to increase food security, it is necessary to rapidly breed crops that will flourish in response to changing weather patterns in addition to growing more food and enhancing agricultural nutrition.

If we don't assist crops to adjust to climate change, yields may drop and farms will need to grow in order to continue providing the same quantity of food, which would result in deforestation, loss of plant biodiversity, and damage to wildlife habitat.

The U.K. would likewise change if the new measure was passed, more in line with the many nations that have significantly loosened laws on gene-edited crops, including Argentina, Israel, and the United States.

In order to pioneer a fresh strategy for these crops that might be adopted globally, Britain needs not only to enact the Precision Breeding Bill but also to modify its policies for genetically engineered crops, generally known as genetically modified organisms, or GMO.

Also Read: Introducing Genetically Edited Crops: the Alternative to GMOs

Effects of GMOs on health

GMOs are comparatively new, and like everything new, there are opposing views on a wide range of concerns pertaining to their use, as per Purdue University.

Whether these GMO plants and the foods they are present in are safe to eat is one topic that receives a lot of attention.

There is no evidence that eating GMOs is harmful to one's health.

People are afraid of GMO

People undoubtedly feel disgusted by GMOs because they consider a genetic alteration to be a contaminant.

When the inserted DNA originates from a species that is typically regarded as repulsive, such as rats or cockroaches, the effect is enforced, as per Scientific American.

However, regardless of its source, DNA is DNA. People are more skeptical about GM food than some other GM applications, such as GM medicine, which can be explained by the impact of distaste.

The claim that GMOs cause cancer, infertility, or will poison the environment becomes quite persuasive if disgust is evoked and is frequently utilized.

Disgust impairs moral judgments as well, prompting consumers to criticize everyone involved in the creation and marketing of GM products.

People seek justifications for their judgments because they are unable to consciously comprehend the emotional motivations behind them.

Related Article: GMO Feed is NOT Hurting Our Livestock, Say Researchers