Controls on the environmental release of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) for research purposes are implemented by the competent authorities of the UK. These are in:

• England – the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra)
• Northern Ireland – the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA)
• Scotland – the Scottish Government
• Wales – the Welsh Government

Why you must obtain consent to release a GMO for research purposes

In England, consent to release a GMO is issued by the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

Specific consents are issued with strict conditions for conducting and managing any genetically modified organism release. It’s the GM Inspectorate’s responsibility to ensure that consent holders (the people granted consent to release a GMO) are complying with these conditions by undertaking inspections of GM deliberate release field sites for research trials and commercial consents.

For research trials consents, conditions may be imposed such as:

• the location and size of GM release
• separation distances from other crops
• presence and size of pollen barriers
• control of volunteers and flowering plants
• monitoring requirements

GM Inspectors must verify that the release is compliant with these conditions. If the release is not compliant the consent holder will be contacted and the matter investigated.

For more information on obtaining consent to release a GMO, see GMO: applications and decisions.

Research trial release reports

Reports on field inspection visits are produced and submitted to Defra within 5 working days. The consent holder and Defra have 20 days to comment on the factual details of the report before the reports are placed on the public register and published.

Reports from 1 April 2025 to 31 March 2026

• Growing season field inspection report of Cambridge University Crop Science Centre barley release (site 1), 9 July 2025 (PDF, 99 KB, 2 pages)
• Growing season field inspection report of Cambridge University Crop Science Centre barley release (site 2), 9 July 2025 (PDF, 120 KB, 2 pages)
• Growing season field inspection report of Rothamsted Research camelina release (site 1), 22 July 2025 (PDF, 113 KB, 2 pages)
• Growing season field inspection report of Rothamsted Research camelina release (site 2), 15 July 2025 (PDF, 98.9 KB, 2 pages)
• Growing season field inspection report of Rothamsted Research wheat release, 30 May 2025 (PDF, 104 KB, 2 pages)
• Growing season field inspection report of Wild Bioscience Ltd spring wheat release, 5 June 2025 (PDF, 98.6 KB, 2 pages)
• Growing season field inspection report of Wild Bioscience Ltd winter wheat release, 5 June 2025 (PDF, 106 KB, 2 pages)
• Growing season field inspection report of Oxford University wheat release (site 2), 5 June 2025 (PDF, 103 KB, 2 pages)
• Growing season field inspection report of Oxford University wheat release (site 1), 30 May 2025 (PDF, 102 KB, 2 pages)
• Growing season field inspection report of Oxford University wheat release (site 3), 17 July 2025 (PDF, 112 KB, 3 pages)

Reports from 1 April 2024 to 31 March 2025

• Growing season field inspection report of Cambridge University Crop Science Centre barley release (site 1), 16 August 2024 (PDF, 113 KB, 2 pages)
• Growing season field inspection report of Cambridge University Crop Science Centre barley release (site 2), 16 August 2024 (PDF, 63.3 KB, 2 pages)
• Growing season field inspection report of The Sainsbury Laboratory potato release, 29 July 2024 (PDF, 109 KB, 2 pages)
• Growing season field inspection report of Rothamsted Research camelina release, 25 July 2023 (PDF, 99.2 KB, 2 pages)
• Growing season field inspection report of John Innes Centre spring wheat release, 17 July 2024 (PDF, 61.4 KB, 2 pages)
• Growing season field inspection report of The Sainsbury Laboratory potato release, 17 July 2024 (PDF, 72.1 KB, 2 pages)
• Growing season field inspection report of Wild Bioscience Ltd spring wheat release, 4 July 2024 (PDF, 71.5 KB, 2 pages)
• Growing season field inspection report of Rothamsted Research winter wheat release, 4 July 2024 (PDF, 62.2 KB, 2 pages)

Reports from 1 April 2023 to 31 March 2024

• Growing season field inspection report of Rothamsted Research camelina release, 12 September 2023 (PDF, 72.2 KB, 2 pages)
• Growing season field inspection report of Rothamsted Research wheat release, 3 August 2023 (PDF, 74.9 KB, 2 pages)
• Growing season field inspection report of Rothamsted Research camelina release, 3 August 2023 (PDF, 76.6 KB, 2 pages)
• Growing season field inspection report of Wild Bioscience Ltd wheat release, 3 August 2023 (PDF, 105 KB, 2 pages)
• Growing season field inspection report of The Sainsbury Laboratory potato release, 27 July 2023 (PDF, 79.1 KB, 2 pages)
• Growing season field inspection report of Cambridge University Crop Science Centre barley release, 27 July 2023 (PDF, 79.9 KB, 3 pages)
• Growing season field inspection report of Cambridge University Crop Science Centre barley release, 27 July 2023 (PDF, 80.2 KB, 3 pages)
• Growing season field inspection report of The Sainsbury Laboratory potato release, 14 July 2023 (PDF, 79.8 KB, 2 pages)
• Growing season field inspection report of John Innes Centre wheat release, 13 July 2023 (PDF, 94.4 KB, 2 pages)

Reports from 1 April 2022 to 31 March 2023

• Growing season field inspection report of Rothamsted Research wheat release, 31 March 2023 (PDF, 104 KB, 2 pages)
• Growing season inspection of Rothamsted Research GM camelina releases, 10 Aug 2022 (PDF, 102 KB, 4 pages)
• Growing season inspection of Rothamsted Research GM camelina releases, 26 July 2022 (PDF, 110 KB, 4 pages)
• Growing season inspection of The Sainsbury Laboratory GM potato release, 21 July 2022 (PDF, 111 KB, 2 pages)
• Growing season inspection of Cambridge University Crop Science Centre GM barley release, 7 July 2022 (PDF, 99 KB, 2 pages)
• Growing season inspection of John Innes Centre GM wheat release, 14 June 2022 (PDF, 103 KB, 2 pages)

Reports from 1 April 2021 to 31 March 2022

• Growing season field inspection report of Rothamsted Research wheat release, 24 March 2022 (PDF, 97 KB, 2 pages)
• Growing season inspection of John Innes Centre GM wheat release, 14 July 2021 (PDF, 235 KB, 2 pages)
• Growing season inspection of The Sainsbury Laboratory GM potato releases, 14 and 21 July 2021 (PDF, 104 KB, 4 pages)
• Growing season inspection of Rothamsted Research GM camelina releases, 13 August and 30 September 2021 (PDF, 114 KB, 8 pages)

Reports from 1 April 2020 to 31 March 2021

• Growing season inspection of Rothamsted Research GM camelina release, 14 September 2020 (PDF, 94.4 KB, 6 pages)
• Growing season inspection of The Sainsbury Laboratory GM potato releases, 18 and 21 August 2020 (PDF, 92.7 KB, 4 pages)

Reports from 1 April 2019 to 31 March 2020

• Growing season inspection of The Sainsbury Laboratory GM potato release, 4 June 2019 (PDF, 76.1 KB, 2 pages)
• Growing season inspection of John Innes GM wheat release, 4 June 2019 (PDF, 72.2 KB, 2 pages)
• Growing season inspection of John Innes GM brassica release, 4 June 2019 (PDF, 70.5 KB, 2 pages)
• Growing season inspection of Rothamsted Research GM wheat release, 25 June 2019 (PDF, 80.8 KB, 2 pages)
• Growing season inspections of Rothamsted Research GM camelina releases (under 2018 & 2019 consents), 25 June 2019 (PDF, 99.6 KB, 8 pages)

Reports from 1 April 2018 to 31 March 2019

• Growing season inspection of the Sainsbury Laboratory GM potato release, 20 September 2018 (PDF, 230 KB, 1 page)
• Growing season inspection of Rothamsted Research GM camelina release, 15 August 2018, site 1 (PDF, 416 KB, 1 page)
• Growing season inspection of Rothamsted Research GM camelina release, 15 August 2018, site 2 (PDF, 420 KB, 2 pages)

Reports from 1 April 2017 to 31 March 2018

• Growing season inspection of The Sainsbury Laboratory GM potato release, 11 August 2017 (PDF, 182 KB, 1 page)
• Growing season inspection of Rothamsted Research GM wheat release, 18 July 2017 (PDF, 114 KB, 1 page)
• Growing season inspection of Rothamsted Research GM camelina release, 18 July 2017 (PDF, 114 KB, 1 page)

Reports from 1 April 2016 to 31 March 2017

• Growing season inspection of Rothamsted Research on 21 July 2016 (PDF, 114 KB, 1 page)
• Growing season inspection of Rothamsted Research on 22 June 2016 (PDF, 116 KB, 1 page)

Reports from 1 April 2015 to 31 March 2016

• Growing season inspection of Rothamsted Research on 10 June 2015 (PDF, 115 KB, 1 page)

Previous reports are available on the archived GM Inspectorate website.

Commercial cultivation of GM crops

There are currently no commercial releases of GM crops in the UK.

Contact

Contact the GM Inspectorate for:

• more information on the GMO deliberate release inspection programme
• if you have concerns or information about unauthorised GMOs that you believe may have been released in England

Email: gm-inspec@apha.gov.uk