England’s Genetic Technology (Precision Breeding) Act has been passed into law, permitting the use of gene-editing techniques for commercial use. Precision breeding enables farmers to create beneficial traits in plants and animals, leading to drought and disease-resistant crops and animals that are immune to harmful diseases. The act introduces a streamlined regulatory system to facilitate research and innovation in precision breeding, with stricter regulations remaining in place for genetically modified organisms (GMOs). The Food Standards Agency will consult on new food and feed legislation and produce a new proportionate risk assessment for precision-bred food and feed before any changes to the market occur. The act ensures that England becomes a world leader in agri-food innovation and helps fight the greatest challenges facing the world.
Precision Breeding Act: Gene-Editing Takes Centre Stage in England
England has taken a huge step forward in agricultural innovation with the passage of the Genetic Technology (Precision Breeding) Act into law. The act has opened the door to numerous opportunities in precision breeding by permitting gene-editing techniques for commercial use.
Precision breeding is a technique that utilises gene editing technologies to modify the genetic code of plants and animals to create beneficial traits that traditional breeding would take years to achieve. With this new law, farmers can grow crops that are drought and disease-resistant, reduce the use of fertilisers and pesticides, and breed animals that are immune to harmful diseases.
The government believes that this milestone legislation will enable scientists to create flexible, adaptable, and plentiful foods that will increase food security, particularly in the face of climate change. The new act is expected to establish England as a world leader in agri-food innovation.
The Genetic Technology (Precision Breeding) Act will introduce a streamlined regulatory system to facilitate research and innovation in precision breeding, with stricter regulations remaining in place for genetically modified organisms (GMOs). This new law has far-reaching powers that allow for a science-based authorisation process for food and feed products derived from precision-bred plants and animals.
Under this law, plants and animals produced through precision breeding technologies will be removed from regulatory requirements applicable in England to the environmental release and marketing of GMOs. It also introduces two notification systems: one for precision-bred organisms used for research purposes and the other for marketing purposes. The information collected will be published on a public register on gov.uk.
To ensure animal welfare is safeguarded, the law establishes a proportionate regulatory system for precision-bred animals. Changes to the regulations for animals will not be introduced until this system is in place.
The new framework will be introduced in phases. Work will commence to ensure the commercial cultivation of precision-bred plants or the sale of precision-bred food is possible in the near future.
Food Minister Mark Spencer welcomed the new law, saying that the Genetic Technology Act is “fantastic news for British consumers and farmers”. He believes that precision breeding technologies are the future of food production, not just at home but around the world, and that this new act will put the nation at the forefront of this revolution.
The government estimates that around 40% of crops are lost globally each year due to floods, pests, and other external events. This new law will unlock the agri-biotech industry to support resilient food production for decades to come.
Precision Breeding Act: A Milestone in Agricultural Science
The Genetic Technology (Precision Breeding) Act has opened a new chapter in agricultural science in England, enabling farmers to utilise gene editing techniques for commercial use. Precision breeding involves using gene editing to create beneficial traits in plants and animals that would otherwise take decades to achieve through traditional breeding methods.
The new act paves the way for farmers to grow crops that are drought and disease-resistant, reduce the use of fertilisers and pesticides, and breed animals that are immune to harmful diseases. According to Defra’s chief scientific adviser, Gideon Henderson, gene editing enables the development of new crop varieties that are more resistant to pests, healthier to eat, and more resilient to drought and heat as climate changes.
The Genetic Technology (Precision Breeding) Act covers precision-bred plants and animals developed through techniques such as gene editing. Unlike genetic modification, which produces crops containing genetic changes that could not have occurred through traditional breeding or occur naturally, precision breeding mimics traditional breeding.
The Food Standards Agency will consult on new food and feed legislation and produce a new proportionate risk assessment for precision-bred food and feed before any changes to the market occur. The act ensures that England joins countries such as Argentina, the US, Australia and Japan that have already enacted similar legislation, driving innovation on a global scale and helping fight the greatest challenges facing the world.
While innovation potential is high, the government acknowledges that animal welfare must be safeguarded in the new regulatory framework. The new framework will be introduced in phases, enabling the use of precision breeding technologies with plants first followed by animals later.
The National Farmers’ Union (NFU) has welcomed the arrival of the new act, stating that it has advocated for this change for more than two decades. The union believes that access to more targeted precision breeding tools for crops and livestock could help bolster climate-friendly food production and support biodiversity in Britain. However, the NFU emphasises that the passage of the bill is only the first step, and further legislation and regulations must be fit for purpose to provide a meaningful boost to food resilience and security.
With the passage of the Genetic Technology (Precision Breeding) Act, England has taken a significant step towards becoming a world leader in agri-food innovation. The new law will enable scientists to create flexible, adaptable, and plentiful foods that will increase food security, particularly in the face of climate change. It is hoped that this new law will unlock the agri-biotech industry to support resilient food production for decades to come.
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