Gene editing law will not apply to NI

A new law on gene editing technology currently making its way through Westminster will not apply to NI, Farming Minister Mark Spencer has confirmed.

Last week, Conservative MP Theresa Villiers asked the UK government if the new Windsor Framework agreed between the EU and UK would allow gene editing to take place in NI.

In response, Spencer said that research trials involving gene editing of crops in NI will continue to be regulated by existing legislation.

There has been a push to develop gene editing in England since Brexit as the technology is regulated in the EU in the same way as genetic modification, which means it is prohibited.

Gene editing differs from genetic modification as the DNA from one species is not mixed with another.