Crops made with new genomic techniques may be governed under less strict rules in the European Union (EU) if the EU Parliament passes proposed changes to its agricultural policies this year.
The changes, suggested by the European Commission, the EU鈥檚 executive body, could allow crops made with these techniques to be exempt from some of the regulations surrounding genetically modified organisms, or GMOs. The logic of the change is that these new genomic techniques 鈥� or NGTs 鈥� simply speed up genetic changes that could naturally be bred into a plant species over generations. Unlike GMOs more generally, which might add genetic instructions from different species, NGT changes are typically targeted and involve gene sequences seen in sexually compatible species.
It鈥檚 a controversial change. However, a new commentary in the journal Cell Reports Sustainability argues that it鈥檚 an important one, given the EU鈥檚 commitment to expanding organic farming. Because organic farming is less productive than conventional farming, a shift to organic farming would require an expansion of agricultural land at the cost of habitats, says Alexandra Molitorisov谩, a researcher and lecturer at the Chair of Food Law at the Univ. of Bayreuth in Germany and the lead author of the new commentary. Deploying NGT crops could help reduce this need by protecting plants against pests and...
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