John Innes Centre (JIC) and the Sainsbury Laboratory (TSL) Position Statement on Genetic Modification (GM)

Over the next few decades we need to increase global food production to meet increasing demand from an expanding population and we must do this as the global climate changes and natural resources such as fossil fuels and fresh water become limiting. At the John Innes Centre (JIC) and the Sainsbury Laboratory (TSL) we believe access to a variety of approaches for crop improvement including plant breeding and genetic modification (GM) is essential to meet these global food production challenges. Agricultural sciences have already led to significant improvements in food production and the JIC contributed to the crop genetic improvements that underpinned the green revolution. We have a unique historical perspective on genetic research and its application to horticulture and agriculture and we have played a key role in the development of GM, not only in the improvement of gene transfer techniques but also in studying genetically modified plants in glasshouse and field trials.

We see no science-based causes for concern with GM other than those issues that arise when using any means to alter genetically the performance of plants and microbes, for instance through breeding. Thus, questions of human and environmental safety should relate to the individual products of each GM application, rather than the process. The safety of commercial GM products is governed by an extensive regulatory framework, backed by years of careful testing of the technology and its products. GM crops have been grown extensively around the world for over fifteen years and there have been no human health problems resulting from consumption of GM products.

Scientific breakthroughs are required to improve crop plants to cope with the future food production challenges and we will continue to support and use all appropriate technologies, including GM, in combination with breeding, to generate the future crop varieties we need.