About ACRE

ACRE'S Terms of Reference

ACRE is a statutory advisory committee appointed under section 124 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 (the EPA) to provide advice to government regarding the release and marketing of genetically modified organisms. The Committee works within the legislative framework set out by Part VI of the EPA and the GMO Deliberate Release Regulations 2002 which together implement Directive 2001/18/EC.

The Committee's terms of reference are as follows:

1. To advise the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, the Scottish Ministers and the Assembly Secretaries on behalf of the National Assembly for Wales (hereafter collectively know as 'the Ministers') and other bodies as appropriate on the exercise of powers under Part VI of the Environmental Protection Act 1990.

2. To advise the Ministers and other bodies as appropriate on releases into the environment of Great Britain of animals and plants covered by sections 14 and 16 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981.

3. To advise the Department of the Environment (Northern Ireland) on releases of genetically modified organisms into the Northern Ireland environment for the purposes of The Genetically Modified Organisms (Deliberate Release) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1994

4. To provide to the Ministers on request scientific advice on GMOs, including advice to the Health and Safety Commission and Executive in respect of the human health aspects of releases to the environment.

5. To advise the Ministers and other bodies as appropriate on research needs.

In practise this means that ACRE's remit, as set out by the legislation, is to provide advice on:

• whether consents to release or market GMOs should be issued and any conditions which should be attached to consents
• the limitations and conditions of consents issued to release or market GMOs, this covers post-release monitoring and provision to make amendments to consents
• fees and charges relating to the cost of issuing consents and in respect of maintaining inspection and enforcement regimes
• the making of regulations under Part VI of the EPA 1990 and the deliberate release directive

In addition ACRE also provide advice on:

• the evaluation of new GM research findings
• any science-based GM matter
• research needs in the area of risk assessment of GMOs
• releases into the environment of non-indigenous animals and plants

Further information on the regulatory regime for the release and marketing of GMOs is available at http://www.defra.gov.uk/environment/gm/index.htm.