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What is genome editing?
Genome editing refers to a set of modern biotechnology tools used by scientists to make precise changes in an organism’s DNA, also known as the genome. Genome editing is increasingly being used to generate new crop varieties that can be used in food and/or animal feed. To read more about genome editing, refer to Safety of Genome Edited Crops.
What are the differences between genome edited crops and genetically modified crops?
Both genome edited (GEd) and genetically modified (GM) crops have had their DNA changed using tools from modern biotechnology. However, GEd and GM crops differ in how they are made:
a. GEd crops
Genome editing tools allow crop developers to make precise changes in an organism’s DNA. On the one hand, these changes can be small without introducing foreign DNA. The resulting GEd crop is equivalent to crop varieties found naturally or bred using conventional breeding techniques. On the other hand, genome editing can introduce foreign DNA into a crop – the resulting crop is equivalent to a GM crop.
b. GM crops
Genetic modification tools insert foreign DNA into a crop, which confers new desirable traits. The resulting GM crop could not have been found naturally or bred using conventional breeding techniques.
