Retour sur la définition d’un OGM en amélioration des plantes. Points de vue génétique et réglementaire / Review of the definition of a GMO in plant breeding. Genetic and regulatory points of view

Abstract

At the beginning of the terminology GMO, GMO or Genetically Modified Organism means organism derived by transgenesis. However, with the development of regulations for the marketing of GMO varieties, the meaning of GMOs has been broadened. According to the 2001/18 European Directive, a GMO is an organism whose genetic material has been modified in a manner that is not natural. The problem with this directive is to know among the tools used by the breeder which ones lead to non natural changes in genetic material. In addition, important genetic changes in the genome such as the juxtaposition of elementary genomes corresponding to the creation of new species and the doubling of the chromosome number are not considered as leading to GMOs. A new definition of a GMO plant is then proposed to cover these situations: it is a plant whose nuclear or cytoplasmic genes or genomes have been intentionally modified by human intervention. This definition covers all changes in gene DNA sequence and genome structure made by the breeder. At the regulatory level, remaining in the spirit of the 2001/18 directive, it would be sufficient to specify the techniques leading to GMOs that are exempted and those leading to GMOs under regulation. In other words, among all GMOs, there would be unregulated GMOs and regulated GMOs.