A new regulatory regime for gene-edited crops heralds a pivotal moment for agricultural innovation – which could benefit growers, say experts.
After five years and a change of government, the Genetic Technology (Precision Breeding) Act came into force on 13 November – a move research leaders say has far-reaching implications for farmers.
Precision breeding allows targeted changes within a plant’s existing DNA – alterations that could occur naturally or through conventional breeding – but delivered more accurately and far more quickly.
Faster breeding
The new rules are expected to shorten breeding cycles, bringing improved varieties to the market faster and reducing reliance on costly fertiliser, pesticides and crop protection inputs.
If the pipeline materialises as scientists predict, growers could gain access to higher-yielding, more resilient crops that cut waste, withstand extreme weather and lower production risk.
The legislation replaces what scientists and breeders viewed as a rigid inherited framework. Instead, it introduces a science-based system intended to speed up crop development crop improvements.
Innovations
NIAB chief executive Mario Caccamo described the act as a historic milestone. “It will help accelerate the development of improved crop varieties with potential benefits for farmers, consumers and the environment,” he said.
Prof Caccamo added: “This is the first time in a generation that legislation has been brought forward which seeks to enable, rather than restrict, the use of advanced genetic technologies in UK agriculture.”
Niab believes the first wave of products could include disease-resistant sugar beet and potatoes, higher-yielding wheat and high-lipid barley designed to cut methane emissions when fed to livestock.
Fewer inputs
“These innovations are already in the pipeline,” Prof Caccamo said. “They show how precision breeding can help us produce healthier food with fewer inputs, while reducing food waste, tackling climate change and strengthening food security.”
He welcomed the government’s commitment to protect the act in any future SPS agreement with the EU, arguing that its adoption under a Labour administration underscores “strong, cross-party political support” for the technology.
Prof Caccamo also cited a global Ipsos survey showing majority public backing, calling the shift a “once-in-a-generation opportunity” for the UK to lead in science-based, sustainable farming.
Precision breeding regulations ‘major step forward’
Farmers and scientists have welcomed news that the Genetic Technology (Precision Breeding) Regulations now come into force.
The regulations, which only apply to England, cover marketing, food and feed authorisation, public registers and enforcement of crop varieties created through precision breeding techniques including gene editing.
Applications can now be made for precision-bred varieties to be approved for use and sale. They include PROBITY, a 12-partner project bringing together scientists, food processors and farmers to explore the potential of precision-bred cereal crops.
The project will bring precision-bred varieties into trials on commercial farms in England for the first time. Precision-bred varieties within PROBITY will be grown under a closed contract with all produce remaining the property of the project partners.
Project lead and managing director of the British On-Farm Innovation Network (BOFIN) Tom Allen-Stevens said: “For farmers this update is a major step forward giving us access to the resilient, productive and sustainable crops that we so urgently need.
“Within the project our scientists can now apply for approval of the PROBITY varieties, and we look forward to seeing how they perform in the field, and how farmers, food manufacturers and consumers respond to them.”
Professor Nigel Halford of Rothamsted Research said: “It is encouraging to know that the innovative varieties currently confined to laboratories and research farms can now start to make a difference on farms and across the food chain.”