United Kingdom: Agricultural Biotechnology Annual

From January 1, 2021, the UK has been responsible for authorizing products of genetic engineering (GE) using retained EU law. Nine GE crops are currently out for public consultation as part of the new UK approval process, with a similar number still pending. As well as a recent announcement that will reduce administrative burden on plant field trials, there is political will to explore a more proportionate approach to regulation of plants and animals derived from simple genome editing as well as other plant and animal products that could have been achieved by traditional breeding methods. The UK government has a timeframe in mind of one to two years for the first phase of regulatory reform and a goal of five to seven years for a wider overhaul of biotechnology regulation.