International: Genetic Use Restriction Technologies (GURTs)
Update to Defra statement on GURTs following meeting of Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity (12 April 2006)
The issue of Genetic Use Restriction Technologies (GURTs) was discussed at a meeting of the Parties to the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) held in Curitiba, Brazil 20-31 March 2006. At this meeting Governments decided to reaffirm the decision, which had been taken in 2000 that there should be a precautionary approach in field testing and commercial development of GURTs. This decision is clear that products incorporating GURTs should not be approved for field testing until appropriate scientific data can justify such testing and for commercial use until appropriate scientific assessments with regard to ecological and socio-economic impacts have been carried out and the conditions for their safe and beneficial use validated. The UK Government’s position has not changed on this issue. We supported the decision taken by the CBD in 2000 and we supported the move to reaffirm this decision in 2006.
In addition to reaffirming the precautionary approach in the 2000 Decision, the 2006 Decision calls for the respect of Farmer’s rights to the preservation of seed and for further research on the ecological, economic, social and cultural impacts of GURTs.
The concerns that have been raised about GURTS relate in particular to their potential use in developing countries and the socio-economic impacts on farmers that depend on the reuse of seeds. In this context it should be noted that no crops involving terminator technology are in use anywhere in the world, and as far as we aware, none are under active commercial development.
Further information
The full text of the 2000 CBD decision on GURTs can be found in Section III of decision V/5 on the CBD website.
The 2006 CBD decision will be available on the CBD website shortly.
Defra statement (21 February 2006)
‘Terminator seeds’ are one example of plants bred using Genetic Use Restriction Technologies (GURTs). Plants bred with this type of GURT - also known as a v-GURT - produce sterile seeds so that a farmer would not be able to use the seed from this crop for future planting. These techniques can be applied by genetic modification of a plant and by more traditional methods of plant breeding.
A second type of GURT - known as a t-GURT - modifies a crop in such a way that a specific enhanced trait in the crop is not expressed until application of a specific chemical or activator.
The Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) decided, in 2000, that there should be a precautionary approach in field testing and commercial development of Genetic Use Restriction Technologies (GURTs) while research into the possible socio-economic impacts of these technologies was carried out. Governments at the CBD meeting in March 2006 will consider, among other things, a progress report by the Convention’s scientific sub-group before considering whether a further decision is appropriate.
The UK position at the meeting will take full account of information provided in relevant reports, as well as the EU’s own regulatory regime which requires that no GM seed may be marketed in the EU unless it has been specifically approved by the Member States.
Decisions on applications to market Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) are made on a case-by-case basis taking full account of a scientific assessment of the particular GMO and the risks associated with its use against the criteria in the EU legislation. An application for a GMO incorporating GURTs would be dealt with in the same way as any other GMO. Approval would only be granted if the evidence showed that a deliberate release of the GMO would not pose an unacceptable risk to human health or the environment.
Recognising that there are both potential benefits and risks associated with GM crops, all countries should be able to make their own informed choices about whether to adopt GM technologies. The development of certain GURTs is of particular importance for some developing countries where farmers tend to rely more heavily on seeds replanted from the previous season’s harvest. Farmers in developed countries tend to buy seeds for planting each season and so plants that produce sterile seeds would have less impact.
The Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety, under the CBD, has been developed to ensure that all countries, which are signatories to the Protocol, are able to make their own decisions about whether to authorise a GMO for import. The Protocol has a strong precautionary approach. This means that importing countries are able to take a decision to avoid or minimise potential adverse effects of GMOs even if there is a lack of scientific certainty on the extent of such potential adverse effects. The Protocol allows for socio-economic considerations to be taken into account in an individual Party’s decision making process and encourages all Parties to share information on such potential impacts in addition to scientific, technical, environmental and legal information on GMOs.
These measures will help both developing and developed countries to make informed decisions on the import and export of GMOs and help to ensure that developing countries are not disadvantaged by the development of GM technologies. More information on the Cartagena Protocol can be found at www.biodiv.org/biosafety.
Page published 21
February 2006;
Page last modified
12 April, 2006