Question reference: S6W-04264
- Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
- Date lodged: 8 November 2021
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Current status: Answered by Mairi McAllan on 22 November 2021
Question
To ask the Scottish Government how much it has spent on researching the (a) benefits and (b) costs of gene editing, in each year since 2016.
Answer
In 2021, the Scottish Government commissioned a study from the Plant Health Centre on the implications of gene editing for plant health, including environmental impacts, at a cost of £18,441 to date.
Otherwise no funding has been committed specifically to research on the benefits and costs of gene editing since 2016. The Scottish Government has access to a wealth of expertise in its advisors, including the Chief Scientific Advisor for Environment, Natural Resources and Agriculture, who follow the latest scientific evidence and are qualified to comment on the impacts of gene editing.