Part 2: Precision Bred Organisms, Release, Marketing, and Risk Assessments Risk assessments 17: Restrictions on importation and acquisition of precision bred organisms in England
This section provides for restrictions on importation and acquisition of precision bred plants and animals in contained use conditions.
	Subsection (1) provides that regulations may be made requiring a person to carry out an environmental risk assessment for precision bred organisms that are imported to a place in England or that are acquired in England. The Government intends that this should have limited application in that it envisages it only applying to precision bred animals and plants before they are released into the environment or marketed (after which point, they are subject to the regulatory provisions on release and marketing in this Act). It provides for existing requirements placed on Genetically Modified Organisms and Precision Bred plants and animals in contained use conditions (such as laboratories) to be maintained. In the majority of cases, a mixture of Genetically Modified and Precision Bred organisms will be present in laboratories and other contained use facilities and this subsection will provide for the current regulations on environmental risk assessment to continue to apply. These are proportionate and science based.
	Subsection (2) establishes the meaning of an environmental risk assessment for the purposes of any regulations that are made under subsection (1).
	Subsection (3) establishes the provisions that may be made in regulations for environmental risk assessments, including keeping them under review and keeping records for provision to the Secretary of State.
	Subsection (4) makes provision requiring persons carrying out environmental risk assessments to obtain advice from prescribed persons.
	Subsection (5) defines the terms ‘acquire’ and ‘damage to the environment’.
	Subsection (6) specifies that regulations made under this section are subject to the negative procedure.