#GAevent - @DefraGovUK Chief Scientist says there can be significant environmental & animal welfare benefits from gene editing - climate resilience, less pesticide use etc.

#GAevent - Liz O'Neill from @GMFreeze highlights the importance of a "history of safe use", as highlighted by the European Court when it found that gene editing was a from of genetic modification. Gene editing is new & distinct from traditional selective breeding. 2/

#GAevent - Liz O'Neill: genetics is a young science, the more we know the more we realize we don't know, so we need some humility. 3/

#GAevent - Kate Halliwell, @Foodanddrinkfed welcome the consultation on gene editing & don't regard it as a big concern to consumer, but have some concerns about its potential impact on trade. 4/

#GAevent - @JulieEHill raises concern about the lack of a Green Paper or any authoritative, independent commentary on the implications of gene editing. How can the public be engaged more fully? (Liz O'Neill says public engagement is actively rejected...) Debate v. polarised. 5/

#GAevent - Helen Browning, @SoilAssociation: after failures of pesticides, GM etc., where problems are found 20 yrs too late, there's cynicism about "another silver bullet". Let's look at the root causes of why we have overuse of pesticides, poor animal welfare etc. 6/

#GAevent - what are the implications of the UK govt supporting gene editing when the devolved administrations oppose it? Answer: the goods can be sold in Scotland & Wales, though how they'll be labelled isn't clear. #controversial 7/