A legal action has been launched by the campaign group Beyond GM against the UK government over new regulations that remove labelling requirements for some genetically modified organisms (GMOs), claiming the changes violate citizens’ right to know what’s in their food and risk damaging the environment.
The group filed a pre-action letter on 16 June 2025, giving notice to Defra Secretary of State Steve Reed of its intention to pursue a judicial review of the Genetic Technology (Precision Breeding) Act 2025, signed into law in May.
The action is being supported by a wide range of organic and sustainable food innovators including Doves Farm, Daylesford Organic, Planet Organic, Abbey Home Farm, Holden Farm Dairy, Hodmedod’s, as well as journalist and author Joanna Blythman.
Beyond GM say the action represents a critical legal challenge to the UK Government’s Genetic Technology (Precision Breeding) Regulations 2025, which it says has significant implications for food sovereignty, environmental protection and consumer choice in the UK.
Essential safeguards threatened
The Regulations, which were signed into law on the 13th of May 2025, fundamentally change how genetically modified organisms are regulated in England, and by extension the rest of the UK, which Beyond GM and its supporters say removes “essential safeguards” intended to protected consumers, farmers and the environment.
The group says for organic farmers and businesses, the new Regulations create acute legal conflicts because so-called Precision Bred Organisms (PBOs) are still legally considered GMOs for the purposes of certification.
Under the new Regulations there are no labelling requirements for PBOs and no traceability systems to track these organisms through the supply chain.
Beyond GM says its pre-action letter, sent to the Secretary of State on 16 June, “highlights multiple grounds on which the government has failed consumers, farming and food businesses and the environment including”.
The group says it is not seeking to ‘ban’ GMOs (they have never been ‘banned’ in the UK), but wants to “ensure full transparency from field to fork in order to protect the food system and wider environment”.
“This dishonest GM push represents the most serious threat to non-GMO, organic, and traditional food and farming that I have witnessed in my lifetime”
Commenting on the development, the journalist Joanna Blythman said: “This government is trying to sidestep public opinion by sneaking these genetically modified organisms (GMOs) onto our plates, unlabelled, even though their introduction would change our food in a way that could never occur in nature. This dishonest GM push represents the most serious threat to non-GMO, organic, and traditional food and farming that I have witnessed in my lifetime. It is an attack on our right to choose to eat time-honoured ingredients in their natural forms.”
Retailer Planet Organic said: “Planet Organic is supporting this action because we believe there should be labelling and transparency so consumers can make informed decisions. This shouldn’t be a cost added to organic and non-organic farmers, producers, manufacturers, retailers or anyone else affected. That burden should be borne by the developers of precision bred GMOs.”
Herbs and vitamins also under threat
Viridian Nutrition is one of the latest donors to the legal action fund, and making a £5,000 donation this week. Viridian founder, Cheryl Thallon, told Natural Newsdesk: “Genetic modification is not the sole preserve of the food and farming sector; food supplements including vitamins and herbs are also potentially undermined by the dilution of regulation. That’s why Viridian Nutrition has been a long-time champion of transparency and tighter regulation, and we’re proud to support Beyond GM and their lobbying campaigns.”
Beyond GM founder Pat Thomas told Natural Newsdesk: “The government has snubbed the 80% of people in the UK who say they want to see all GMOs – including the ridiculously named ‘precision bred’ GMOs – labelled. Donating will ensure we can keep fighting for this ignored majority.”
Stop Hidden GMOs CrowdJustice crowdfunder https://www.crowdjustice.com/case/stop-hidden-gmos/
