Developing genetically modified organisms
How to market, trial and release GMOs.
The current controls on the environmental release of GMOs apply and are implemented by the competent authorities in the UK.
These are:
- England – Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra)
- Northern Ireland – Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA)
- Scotland – Scottish Government
- Wales – Welsh Government
Get authorisation for trial release of GMOs
You must get authorisation before you carry out a trial release of a GMO.
You must apply to the competent authority for the country in which the GMO trial is proposed to take place.
Get approval for marketing GMOs
You must get approval before you market GMOs for environmental release.
You’ll need separate authorisation from each of the GB competent authorities that are responsible for the countries in which you intend to market the GMO. GMO products that you intend to market in NI will need either:
- to be approved under the current EU approval process
- approval from the NI competent authority if you intend to market the GMO product only in NI
You’ll only get approval for a trial or marketing release if there are no safety concerns. The competent authorities will apply a risk assessment using the current process.
Trading GMOs
All EU marketing authorisations for GMOs that are in force on 1 January 2021 will continue to apply in the UK until they expire. Find details of the EU authorised GMOs on the GMO register.
You can:
- export GMO products for commercial release into the EU environment if they are approved for marketing in the EU
- export GMOs from the UK for environmental release in non-EU countries
- import GMOs for release into the UK environment if they’re approved for marketing in the UK
Contact your competent authority
- England – gm-regulation@defra.gov.uk
- Northern Ireland – biodiversity.policy@daera-ni.gov.uk
- Scotland – GMInspectorate@sasa.gov.scot
- Wales – plant.health@gov.wales