Regulations ‘ stifle research into breeding of crops’
Investment in cutting- edge crop breeding techniques is being stifled by the current regulatory system in place in the UK and across t he EU which stands at odds with the approach taken in most other developed nations, a survey says.
New approaches – such as the gene editing CRISPR – Cas9 techniques, the developers of which received a Nobel Prize this week – have, according to the British Society of Plantbreeders ( BSPB), been held back by the rules which force such techniques to be placed under the same rigorous restrictions first generation Genetically Modified crops which often had DNA from other species introduced into their genome.
And with Defra set to carry out a major consultation on post- Brexit regulation of such precision breeding techniques and the EU currently reviewing its own regulatory system, a survey of 62 plant breeding companies in Europe, confirmed strong commercial interest, regardless of company size, in their use.
However, the survey also highlighted the negative impact on EU- based research and investment of the July 2018 Europeancourtof Justice ( ECJ) ruling which classified varieties developed using these newbreeding techniques as GMOS, especially amongst smaller European breeding companies which couldn’t move research activities outside the EU.
The survey, conducted by Euro seeds, showed that regardless of company size, research activity involving the new breeding techniques covered a very wide range of crop types, ranging from cereals, vegetables, fruits, oilseeds, pulses, ornamentals, sugar beet, maize through to sorghum – and looked at improving not only yields but also, quality, pest and disease resistance, heat and drought tolerance and industrial non- food applications.
However, over 40 per cent of EU small and medium sized companies stopped funding this area of research following the ECJ ruling.
And while the chief worries revolved around regulatory costs and time lines under the current EU GMO legislation, almost all research companies said they would increase investment in the area if the resulting products were not regulated as GMOS.
“The Euroseeds survey highlights the strong interest among plant breeding companies of all sizes in using new precision breeding tools such as gene editingto enhance the speed and accuracy of crop breeding programmes,” said BPS chief executive, Samantha Brooke.
“The findings also demonstratethediverserangeof potential applications, from improved crop quality and performance to better nutrition, climate resilience, and developing re newable, plant- based sources of industrial products and materials.” She said that advances such as these were urgently needed for crop production to meet society’s future expectations in terms of climate change, healthier diets and more sustainable approaches to providinga secure supply of safe, affordable food.
And while no consultat i on has yet been announced in Scotland, most leading research establishments and a number of farming organisations recently sent a letter to the Scottish Government requesting that such an exercise is also undertaken north of the border.