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04 March 2026
Issue: 8152 / Categories: Legal News , Food law , Environment , Regulatory
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GM lurking in the countryside

The High Court has given the go-ahead to a judicial review against environmental regulations that could enable genetically engineered plants to enter the food system untraced

The claim, listed for May, is being brought by environmental group Beyond GM, organic farmers and consumers. It challenges the Genetic Technology (Precision Breeding) Regulations 2025, which came into effect in November.

The regulations create a framework for the management of ‘precision bred organisms’ (PBOs), a subcategory of genetically modified organisms (GMOs). The claimants highlight that they do not enforce safety testing, tracing or labelling and rely on non-binding guidance, which essentially deregulates PBOs in England.

Leigh Day solicitor Julia Eriksen, representing Beyond GM, said: ‘The 2025 regulations have resulted in a significant relaxation of how precision bred GMOs (PBOs) are regulated, which our clients argue has far reaching implications.’ 

Issue: 8152 / Categories: Legal News , Food law , Environment , Regulatory
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MOVERS & SHAKERS

Penningtons Manches Cooper—Robert Dransfield

Penningtons Manches Cooper—Robert Dransfield

London medical negligence practice strengthened by senior partner hire

DAC Beachcroft—seven appointments

DAC Beachcroft—seven appointments

Firm boosts professional risk practice with team hire in Manchester, led by partner Ben Parks

Doyle Clayton—Benedicte Perowne

Doyle Clayton—Benedicte Perowne

Workplace law firm appoints new head of regulatory team

NEWS
A seemingly dry procedural update may prove potent. In his latest 'Civil way' column for NLJ this week, Stephen Gold explains that new CPR 31.12A—part of the 193rd update—fills a ‘lacuna’ exposed in McLaren Indy v Alpa Racing
The long-running Mazur saga edged towards its finale as the Court of Appeal heard arguments on whether non-solicitors can ‘conduct litigation’. Writing in NLJ this week, Professor Dominic Regan of City Law School reports from a packed courtroom where 16 wigs watched Nick Bacon KC argue that Mr Justice Sheldon had failed to distinguish between ‘tasks and responsibilities’

The Court of Appeal has slammed the brakes on claimants trying to swap defendants after limitation has expired. In Adcamp LLP v Office Properties and BDB Pitmans v Lee [2026] EWCA Civ 50, it overturned High Court rulings that had allowed substitutions under s 35(6)(b) of the Limitation Act 1980, reports Sarah Crowther of DAC Beachcroft in this week's NLJ

Cheating in driving tests is surging—and courts are responding firmly. Writing in NLJ this week, Neil Parpworth of De Montfort Law School charts a rise in impersonation and tech-assisted fraud, with 2,844 attempts recorded in a year
As AI-generated ‘deepfake’ images proliferate, the law may already have the tools to respond. In NLJ this week, Jon Belcher of Excello Law argues that such images amount to personal data processing under UK GDPR
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