Submission to the European Commission Biotech Act Consultation
This document outlines AMI’s response to the EU Biotech Act consultation’s proposed amendments to the EU Directive on the Deliberate Release into the Environment of Genetically Modified Microorganisms. Responses spanned a broad spectrum, from conditional support for the policy—subject to the incorporation of the risks, considerations, and mitigation measures discussed below into its development—to serious concern regarding the continued proliferation of novel entities in the environment. Nevertheless, there was consensus that microbes, and consequently genetically modified microorganisms (GMMs), should not be considered in isolation. Rather, their functions within, and the potential impacts of GMMs on, the microbiome—the complex communities of microorganisms that inhabit environments ranging from the human gut to the world's oceans and soils—must be central to policy considerations.