Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether the Windsor Framework will allow gene editing of crops to take place in Northern Ireland.

The Windsor Framework secures an outcome that works for GB businesses moving a range of agri-food to Northern Ireland and NI producers who wish to access the UK and EU markets. Northern Irish producers and manufacturers have been clear that they value access to the UK and EU markets and many operate on an integrated island of Ireland basis, such as the agricultural sector. We have listened to industry and protected their vital supply chains that also rely on North-South trade.

Any research trials involving gene editing of crops or cultivation of gene edited crops in Northern Ireland will continue to be regulated under the Genetically Modified Organisms (Deliberate Release) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2003 (as amended), and by the GMO (Northern Ireland) Order 1991.