Scottish Secretary of State Alister Jack visited the James Hutton Institute, where gene editing research is carried out, and made a statement to the press stating that he wants to work with the Scottish government to follow in England's footsteps and ensure that farmers across the UK can benefit from this technology.

 "Gene editing will allow us to address issues of climate change, crop diseases, food security and really lower food prices," he said.

Alister Jack took advantage of a visit to an agricultural technology centre to reiterate his call for Scotland to adopt the commercial use of genetic editing, despite opposition from Holyrood. The Scottish Secretary of State met with staff at the James Hutton Institute in Invergowrie, Perthshire, on Monday, where he was introduced to the research centre.

In a statement released after the visit, Jack again called on the Scottish government to allow English law enforcement north of the border, introducing gene editing on Scottish farms. He had already signed a letter - along with Environment Secretary George Eustice - asking the Scottish government to support the UK's genetic technology (precision reproduction) bill.

The Scottish government opposes this policy by moving far away from EU rules, and Environment Minister Màiri McAllan says the introduction of gene editing could increase "compliance costs" and undermine "future trade" with the bloc. Ministers are also concerned that despite Holyrood's opposition to GMfoods, they could still reach Scottish shops due to the impact of the Internal Market Act, which allows approved food in a part of the UK to be sold everywhere.

Source: Agrolink