Easing of rules on genetics urged

BIOTECHNOLOGY companies are hoping for support for their industry from a major report on genetic manipulation due to be published tomorrow.

They argue that the United Kingdom's strict safety restrictions on approving field trials of modified plants and animals put the British biotechnology industry at a disadvantage against other European and American companies.

They want a faster, cheaper approvals process, and appear to have persuaded the House of Lords Select Committee on Science and Technology, which reports tomorrow, of the strength of their case.

The document is expected to recommend easing the approvals hurdles, in line with government aims to cut bureaucracy in industry. But this is seen by some as weakening safeguards on human health and the environment.

The science of genetic manipulation is still young, and the consequences of releasing modified organisms outside the laboratory are not easy to predict. In extreme cases, genes in engineered plants might find their way into other plants, with unknown effects.

Scientists involved in setting up the British system for regulating genetic experiments believe it has become the model for other countries. But the Lords' recommendations could alter this.

One expected proposal is 'fast-tracking' for certain types of experiment - for example on frost-sensitive plants that would have little chance of surviving in the British climate. Another, which would allow whole classes of experiments a one-off licence, is seen as a step towards a system whereby researchers need only notify safety advisers of their work, rather than having to secure approval.