Plants gene-edited for efficient use of water or nutrients or to better withstand pests or drought now won’t have to clear the same regulatory hurdles in Canada as any crops that are modified for herbicide tolerance or include foreign genes. Federal Agriculture Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau on Wednesday announced updated guidance from the Canadian Food Inspection […] Read more
Tag Archives crispr
Gene-edited crops clear CFIA’s regulatory bar
Agency guidance puts gene editing on level of conventional breeding
New CRISPR-Combo boosts genome editing power in plants
Science Notes: Ability to edit, change multiple genes at once explored
CRISPR-CAS9 technology made it possible for scientists to change the genetic code of living organisms. Although revolutionary, the tool has its limitations. Like the first cell phones that could only perform one function, the original CRISPR method can perform one function: removing or replacing genes in a genetic sequence. Later iterations of CRISPR were developed […] Read more
Federal gene editing policy expected soon
Those opposing the technology have delayed policy development
Glacier FarmMedia – Health Canada is expected to soon publish guidance on how gene-edited crops will be regulated. It appears the department will treat gene-edited crops differently from genetically modified (transgenic) crops, which means the oversight of gene-edited crops could be closer to conventionally bred crops. Gene editing is often described as removing or altering […] Read more
Scientist still sees CRISPR acceptance issues
Co-discoverer of gene editing says researchers have responsibility to be as transparent with the public as possible
Glacier FarmMedia – Agriculture has a powerful set of tools in CRISPR gene-editing technology to overcome the twin challenges of preserving and increasing food production while minimizing greenhouse gases, said one of CRISPR’s discoverers. “I think the opportunities are so exciting,” said Jennifer Doudna, a biochemist at the University of California at Berkeley. “CRISPR is […] Read more
New tests find more resistant bacteria
Science Notes: CRISPR technology being used to identify which bacteria are most abundant
New research from the University of Georgia shows there may be more antimicrobial-resistant salmonella in food animals than scientists previously thought. Using technology she developed, UGA researcher Nikki Shariat and Amy Siceloff, a first-year doctoral student in UGA’s Department of Microbiology, found that traditional culturing methods used to test livestock for problematic bacteria often miss […] Read more
Health Canada declares gene editing safe
The ruling is expected to give Canadian producers access to the same types of plant breeding available in other countries
Glacier FarmMedia – Canadian farmers may soon be growing gene-edited crops. That’s because Health Canada has declared that gene-editing technology is safe. Health Canada recently proposed new rules to oversee plant breeding innovation, including gene editing. Why it matters: Canada has lagged other countries in its regulations surrounding gene editing, which could have put Canadian […] Read more
Tweaking corn kernels with CRISPR
Science Notes: In some of the first work of its kind, researchers modified corn kernel numbers using CRISPR
Corn has changed over thousands of years from weedy plants that make ears with less than a dozen kernels to the cobs packed with hundreds of juicy kernels that we see on farms today. Powerful DNA-editing techniques such as CRISPR can speed up that process. Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL) Professor David Jackson and his […] Read more
Gene-edited chickens planned in bid to halt next pandemic
London | Reuters — British scientists are developing gene-edited chickens designed to be totally resistant to flu in a new approach to trying to stop the next deadly human pandemic. The first of the transgenic chicks will be hatched later this year at the Roslin Institute at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland, said Wendy […] Read more
Canada joins group supporting gene editing
Twelve countries issued a joint statement in support of the plant breeding process
The federal government has come out in favour of gene editing. Or, more accurately, the Government of Canada believes gene edited crops can help farmers produce “safe and affordable food, feed, fibres, and energy in the 21st century.” The quote comes from a statement released in early November and was delivered during a World Trade […] Read more
GMO rules cover plant gene editing technique, top EU court says
Brussels | Reuters — Crops obtained by plant breeding technique mutagenesis should fall under laws restricting the use of genetically modified organisms (GMOs), Europe’s highest court said on Wednesday, in a victory for environmental campaigners. The biotech industry had argued that much of mutagenesis, or gene editing, is effectively little different to the mutagenesis that […] Read more
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
