Further guidance required for assessment of gene drive technology, says EFSA

Further guidance required for assessment of gene drive technology, says EFSA

Tags: Europe, Field trials, Gene drive synthetic, Modeling, Pest management, Policy, Regulation, Risk and safety, Risk assessment
Euractiv,  The World News Monitor,  2020. Link

Existing guidelines are adequate for evaluating risks associated with gene-drive modified insects, but further guidance is needed for some areas, most notably for environmental risk assessments.
The evaluation was requested to explore the issue ahead of the consideration of any possible applications of the technology and is also designed to support the EU in discussions on the biosafety of GMOs in international fora such as the United Nations.
It found that while existing guidelines are sufficient for evaluating risks associated with technology, further guidance is needed for some areas, such as molecular characterisation, environmental risk assessment and post-market environmental monitoring.

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