What the ECJ ruling means for gene editing

A photograph of a wheat field

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The European Court of Justice has found Crispr-modified crops are subject to GMO regulations

On 25 July the European Court of Justice ruled that organisms obtained by gene editing techniques, such as Crispr, are in principle subject to the same regulations as genetically modified organisms (GMOs). This was a surprise, given an opinion provided by its advocate general in January drew a clear line between mutagenesis, which changes an organism’s DNA, and transgenics, which introduces the DNA from another species.

So how does gene editing apply in agriculture, and what does the European Court of Justice ruling mean?