Making the announcement at the World Agri-Tech Innovation summit, the Minister for Food Security and Rural Affairs Daniel Zeichner has said the legislation will be passed as soon as parliamentary time allows.
The Bill was made into law under the previous Conservative government last year following a three-month public consultation in 2021.
The NFU was one of the signatories on an open statement of support of the bill, which was published by the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Science and Technology in Agriculture ahead of the Bill’s second reading on 21 November 2022.
Defra has said using technologies like gene editing on plants, precision breeding will enable the development of crops that are more nutritious, resistant to pests and disease, resilient to climate change and more beneficial to the environment.
Genetic improvement a ‘vital tool’
NFU Vice President Rachel Hallo said the NFU was “delighted” to hear the plans, adding that the potential benefits of biotechnology in farming and food are “significant, but companies do need the legal certainty of fit for purpose legislation to invest in breeding solutions for British farming, environment and society”.
“We want to see companies developing products that address the specific challenges and opportunities in the UK, whether it’s improving resource efficiency, resilience to climate change or tastier, more nutritious foods.
“Precision breeding is not a silver bullet, but genetic improvement is a vital tool among many that can help achieve our net zero goals by enhancing crop and livestock productivity while supporting health, biodiversity and sustainable farming.”
“Precision breeding is not a silver bullet, but genetic improvement is a vital tool among many that can help achieve our net zero goals.”
NFU Vice President Rachel Hallos
Making the annoucement, Mr Zeichner said: “This government recognises that food security is national security.
“That is why today we are introducing legislation to unlock precision breeding to boost Britain’s food security, support nature’s recovery and protect farmers from climate shocks.
“With these measures, our agriculture sector will be at the forefront of innovation across the world.”
What can gene editing offer?
Precision bred products have already started to undergo research trials, including tomatoes with high levels of vitamin D and sugar beet that is less reliant on pesticides.
Defra has said that while currently, only a few large, multinationals can afford to navigate the process required to bring a new production to market, the legislation will simply the process.
Biotechnology, such as gene editing has the potential to:
- Combat pest and disease pressures on crops and farm animals.
- Improve animal health and welfare.
- Increase crops’ resilience to extreme weather events, such as flooding and drought.
- Help farmers tackle climate change and aid biodiversity through more efficient use of resources, resulting in lower emissions, less waste, and more sustainable and profitable farming.
- Help in the development of foods with direct benefits to the public, such as increased nutritional value, maximised flavour and longer shelf life.
In the USA, Conscious Greens, a milder mustard green for use in salads, are currently going through consumer testing with the aim to land in supermarkets later this year.
To find out more about the commercialisation of gene editing for food, visit: pairwise.com.
