Stop Unregulated GMOs 

The federal government is systematically handing over responsibility for the safety of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) to biotechnology companies.
 
The federal government has removed safety oversight and transparency from even more gene-edited products in our food system. Following similar announcements in 2022 and 2023 on gene-edited seeds and foods, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency has now removed pre-market regulation from livestock feed from gene-edited plants that have no foreign DNA. Read and share our press release.

This decision comes even as the food safety agency in France recommends government safety assessments because of risks including those linked to “unexpected changes in the composition of the plant, which could give rise to nutritional, allergenicity or toxicity problems, or medium- and long-term environmental risks."

CBAN’s new brief to the House of Commons agriculture committee (in their study on the horticultural sector) warns that consumers need transparency about GM fruits and vegetables.

Take Action: Send your letter to the ministers of agriculture and health today.

Background

Documents revealed through Access to Information requests show that the federal government departments worked directly with the biotechnology lobby group CropLife Canada to design the changes that free gene-edited GMOs from regulation, in a committee they called the “Tiger Team”. Read our article about the history of corporate influence over these government decisions (November 2023).
 
The federal government has completed a trio of regulatory updates that remove government safety assessments and mandatory transparency from most seeds, foods, and livestock feed produced through the new techniques of genetic engineering that are collectively referred to as gene editing. The latest decision to remove CFIA safety assessments for most gene-edited livestock feed was announced on May 3, 2024. This follows a similar CFIA decision on gene-edited plants in May 2023 and a Health Canada decision on gene-edited foods in May 2022. Specifically, the exemptions from pre-market regulation apply to seeds that have no foreign DNA and to food and livestock feed from those gene-edited plants.
 
These decisions allow developers to assess the safety of their own GM products without any government oversight. These genetically modified organisms (GMOs) will not go through any government approval process at Health Canada or the CFIA, and can be released onto the market without companies having to submit any safety data to the government, and without notification to the government.

Listen to CBAN's Coordinator, Lucy Sharratt, on CBC radio.
 
For more information see www.cban.ca/NoExemptions.

The Canadian Biotechnology Action Network (CBAN) brings together 15 organizations to research, monitor and raise awareness about issues relating to genetic engineering in food and farming. CBAN members include farmer associations, environmental and social justice organizations, and regional coalitions of grassroots groups. CBAN is a project of MakeWay's shared platform.