Author: Igor Lopes

“This proposal provides more legal predictability and an enabling framework for category 1 NGT plants, such as the ones being developed in the project. With GeneBEcon, we can contribute scientific data to the upcoming discussions, particularly for the implementation regulation, which will be developed once the final legislative text is adopted both in the EU Council and Parliament.” says Dennis Eriksson, coordinator of GeneBEcon and Associate Professor at the Department of Plant Breeding, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences.

The European Parliament has voted in support of a proportionate regulatory approach to New Genomic Techniques (NGTs) by the EU Parliament’s Plenary session. The legislative proposal recognizes that some NGT plants are as safe as conventionally bred plants and will only be assessed based on their equivalence with the latter. The legislation recommends a verification process, ensuring a science-based approach where competent authorities assess the molecular characteristics of NGT plants. This process determines if they belong to Category 1 or Category 2 (NGT plants that do not meet equivalence criteria and must undergo an adapted risk assessment).

This new proposal will create an enabling regulatory environment for the use of NGT plants by agrifood value chain players and consumers. With examples like an NGT potato with improved starch quality and resistance to a virus, and a microalgae producing high-value compounds, the GeneBEcon consortium is assessing the impact of regulatory options on the feasibility, safe use, and business case for such products in the EU. This approach is essential to ensure the safe use of these products and the continued progress of scientific innovations.

GeneBEcon’s press release can be found here.

Get more information on the Legislative Proposal here.

CORDIS has released an article featuring GeneBEcon’s scientific publication that has been published in Nature Plants. The first peer-reviewed scientific article prepared by partners of the GeneBEcon consortium, “Options for regulating new genomic techniques for plants in the European Union” describes a range of options for regulating plants derived from New Genomic Techniques (NGTs) in the European Union (EU) and assesses their respective impacts on biosafety data requirements, the likelihood of uptake and overall socio-economic implications.

The CORDIS article highlights the study’s aim to assist political decision-makers in forming a clearer picture of the available options for regulating NGTs for plants in EU in the current debate on a draft law by the Commission. – In the study, the GeneBEcon scientists concluded that the best option would be to focus on plant traits with sustainability benefits. This is “the best way to contribute to climate protection and the transition to climate neutrality and to immediately integrate sustainability into all food-related policy areas,” stated the study lead author, Prof. Dr Kai Purnhagen from the University of Bayreuth, Germany.

With the recent positive vote by the European Parliament on the Commission’s legislative proposal for New Genomic Techniques, GeneBEcon sees this as a significant step towards fostering innovation in plant breeding for a sustainable EU agriculture and food system.

GeneBEcon’s scientific article can be found here.

Get more information on the CORDIS article here