Secondary legislation required to implement Precision Breeding Act for plants is expected to be laid in Parliament soon
The government has announced it will introduce new legislation needed to implement precision breeding in the UK.
Defra believes precision breeding will help to increase food production and reduce costs for farmers.
Technologies such as gene editing will support the development of crops that are more resistant to pests and disease, more resilient to climate change, more beneficial to the environment, and more nutritious, its proponents argue.
This could reduce the use of pesticides, increase food production, and boost food security.
Gene editing has received significant support from the fresh produce industry. However, the Soil Association warned of the risks that precision breeding could pose to for the organic sector.
Director of policy Brendan Costelloe said: “It is vital to both consumer confidence and the organic sector that the right statutory instruments are now put in place ensure full transparency of PBOs, with clear labelling to reassure and protect consumer choice, secure the organic and GMO-free sector and protect trade…
“This is critical for the entire organic food sector to maintain the legal standards required and to ensure that the thousands of organic businesses in the UK can trade with Europe and with other countries who have exclusions on Genetically Modified Organisms including PBOs. We must avoid any barriers to consumer choice and trade at all costs. The organic food sector is worth over £3.2 billion.”
Speaking at the World Agri-Tech Innovation Summit in London, minister for food security and rural affairs, Daniel Zeichner, announced the government would pass secondary legislation needed to implement the Precision Breeding Act as soon as parliamentary time allows.
“This government recognises that food security is national security,” he said. “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.”
There have already been research trials of precision-bred products such as tomatoes with high levels of vitamin D.
