Parliament moots new law on GMOs
The parliamentary Committee on Science, Technology, and Innovation has called on the government to present laws regulating genetically modified organisms (GMOs) to provide for the ongoing research on gene drives in the country.
Gene Drive Technology, which is being done under the Uganda Virus Research Institute (UVRI), is the preferential transmission of genes intended for curbing malaria.
“Uganda does not have laws on GMOs, despite the fact that the country is carrying out research on GMOs. This means that the country cannot ably regulate GMO development, importation, distribution, and consumption within the country,” said Alex Niyonsaba, MP Bufumbira County South, during the plenary sitting on Thursday, November 16, 2023.
Niyonsaba was presenting the committee report on the 1st global conference on new and emerging genetic biocontrol technologies held in Nairobi, Kenya, on September 2, 2023.
The committee observed that the technology has the potential to control mosquito-borne diseases, such as malaria, and genetically engineered pests that influence the environment, agriculture, and industry.
He further stated that, “given the porous borders that Uganda shares with the neighbouring countries, this puts Ugandans at a risk of having GMO products distributed in the country without proper regulations”.
He explained that most countries that have embraced GMOs have legal frameworks to govern the development, import and export of GMOs. The laws he added are geared towards safe development, distribution, labelling of the products, and protection of human health and the environment.
The committee recommends that GMOs should be considered but limited to non-consumable products such as cotton, which Speaker Anita Among opposed.
“The recommendation that GMOs should be limited to cotton might not be the best, because cotton seeds and oils are used to make seed cake, which is fed by animals,” said Speaker Annet Among.
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