This report argues that releasing genetically modified micro-organisms (GMMs) into the environment poses unpredictable risks to human health. Microbes evolve fast, exchange genes and spread between people, so even a small edit could make a beneficial microbe harmful or, at worst, spark an outbreak. The briefing says the EU’s proposed fast-track approval procedure is inadequate. It would prioritise GM versions of common food and probiotic microbes, rely on a flawed “genes of concern” screen, and weaken the risk assessment, monitoring and liability safeguards in current law (Directive 2001/18/EC). It would also hand the European Commission unaccountable powers. With almost no market for openly released GMMs, and a risk of harming non-GM sectors, the authors call for the fast-track to be scrapped and for GMMs to stay in contained use.

In the report, the ecologists write: “Microbes are fundamentally different from plants and animals in ways that make current or loosened regulatory approaches inappropriate and potentially dangerous. We also lack sufficient scientific knowledge about identity and ecology of microbes.” They warn about “the impossibility of removing GMMs once they are applied”.

The ecologists want certain assumptions to be removed from the Commission’s proposal – namely that there is a “low-risk” category of microbes and that a “Qualified Presumption of Safety” (QPS) can be made for these organisms. Under the proposal, these assumptions would be used to justify weakening or abolishing the risk assessment for a GMM.