Gene editing bid for better crops

FARMING: Technology that can “edit” the genes of plants and animals could be used to create healthier and more sustainable crops and livestock, the Government said.

A consultation on regulations of gene editing is being launched at the Oxford Farming Conference by Environment Secretary George Eustice.

TECHNOLOGY THAT can “edit” the genes of plants and animals could be used to create healthier and more sustainable crops and livestock, the Government has said.

A consultation on the future regulations of gene editing is being launched today at the Oxford Farming Conference by Environment Secretary George Eustice who says the current rules have stifled the technology’s potential.

Gene editing is a process that enables changes to the traits of plants and animals much more quickly than traditional selective breeding which has been used for centuries to create stronger, healthier crops and livestock.

It is different from genetic modification ( GM), in which DNA from one species is introduced to a different one, but following a EU ruling in 2018 it is regulated in the same stringent way as GM organisms.

Under the plans being put out for consultation, the rules could be changed in England to allow gene editing research to be used to produce beneficial crops and livestock, with strong health and safety rules, officials said.

The Government said gene editing makes the same kind of changes to plants and animals that occur naturally and through traditional breeding, and the consultation would gather information to make sure it was safe and that food and environmental standards are not relaxed.

It will look at stopping certain gene editing organisms from being regulated in the same way as genetic modification, as long as they could have been produced naturally or through traditional breeding techniques.

Gene editing’s potential includes making crops and livestock more resistant to pests or disease, cutting the need for pesticides and improving animal welfare, and making food have healthier impacts such as lowering blood pressure or reducing the risk of cancer, officials said.

Speaking to the online conference, Mr Eustice will say: “Gene editing has the ability to harness the genetic resources that mother nature has provided in order to tackle the challenges of our age.

“This includes breeding crops that perform better, reducing costs to farmers and impacts on the environment, and helping us all adapt to the challenges of climate change.

“Its potential was blocked by a European Court of Justice ruling in 2018 which is flawed and stifling to scientific progress.

“Now that we have left the EU, we are free to make coherent policy decisions based on science and evidence. That begins with this consultation.”

Professor Robin May, the Food Standards Agency’s chief scientific adviser, welcomed the consultation and said all genetically edited foods would only be allowed to come to market if they are judged not to pose a health risk, mislead consumers or have a lower nutritional value than existing equivalents.

Sir David Baulcombe, at the University of Cambridge, said: “The overwhelming view in public sector scientists is that the Nobel Prize winning methods for gene editing can accelerate the availability of crops and livestock for sustainable, productive and profitable agriculture.

“I welcome the Defra consultation that will help with a broader assessment of gene editing as an appropriate technology in agriculture.”

The consultation will also begin a longer- term project to gather evidence on updating the approach to genetic modification, by gathering information on what controls are needed and how to deliver them, officials said.

We are free to make coherent policy decisions based on science. George Eustice, Environment Secretary