Genetically Modified Organisms

Planning and Environmental Policy Group is responsible for the policy and legislation on the environmental safety of Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) in Northern Ireland.

Summary of Responses to the Department's Coexistence Consultation Paper

In January 2007 the Department of the Environment consulted stakeholders on proposals for managing the coexistence of GM and non-GM crops in Northern Ireland, should approved GM varieties be grown here commercially in the future.

A factual summary of the responses to the Department's consultation can be accessed below

Summary of responses to the Department's Coexistence Consultation Paper (44kb)

We are grateful to everyone who responded, and will continue to consider the various comments that have been made very carefully. However, before our coexistence plans can be developed further, we are conscious that there are a number of developments that could have an important bearing on how we move forward. These include the following:

• receipt of new scientific evidence: the Department’s consultation paper noted that new research evidence was expected to be available for consideration in due course, in relation to crop separation distances in particular. There are a number of research projects relating to coexistence matters that are to be finalised in the near future. These reports should improve the evidence-base in certain areas.
• seed thresholds: the EU is expected to adopt specific thresholds for labelling adventitious GM presence in conventional seeds. These will dictate what level of GM material might be in the seeds sown by non-GM farmers. We believe that we should await clarification of what seed thresholds are to be adopted because of their importance to coexistence proposals.

No commercial GM cultivation is expected in NI for several years, but it remains our intention to have appropriate measures in place beforehand.

Concordat on the implementation of Directive 2001/18/EC and Regulation 1946/2003/EC.Concordat.pdf (94KB))

This Concordat sets out the agreed framework for the co-operation between the Department of the Environment in Northern Ireland (DoENI), the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), the Welsh Assembly Government (WAG). as the executive for the National Assembly for Wales, and the Scottish Executive (SE), on the administration and coordination of the regulatory frameworks established under the:

• Directive 2001/18/EC on the deliberate release into the environment of genetically modified organisms; and
• Regulation (EC) No.1946/2003 on transboundary movements of genetically modified organisms.

Should you wish to find out more about GM issues please access the Defra GM (genetic Modification) webpage