Greenpeace, on behalf of ARGE Gentechnik-frei (Austria), IFOAM Organics Europe and VLOG – Association Food without Genetic Engineering (Germany), wrote to the European Commission to inform about the successful development of a detection test for the first commercialised gene-edited crop – a herbicide-tolerant rapeseed produced by US company Cibus.

View over field of flowering rapeseed with tree in background and clear blue sky. © Bernhard Nimtsch / Greenpeace

The test shows that it is possible to detect and quantify genetically modified organisms (GMOs) engineered with gene editing, and to distinguish such crops from similar crops developed with other methods.

Importantly, it allows EU authorities to test imports for the presence of this particular GM crop, which is grown in the US and Canada and has no GMO authorisation in the EU. The test thereby supports EU member states in implementing the 2018 ruling of the European Court of Justice (ECJ).

Read the full letter to Commissioner Kyriakides here

Update, 30 September 2020:

Download the response from Commissioner Kyriakides here