Precision Breeding Act given official welcome

THE All-Party Parliamentary Group on Science and Technology in Agriculture (APPGS-TA) has welcomed the entry into force last month of the Genetic Technology (Precision Breeding) Act 2023 for plants in England, describing it as a landmark moment for British science, and calling for the legislation to mark the beginning of a new, pro-innovation agricultural policy agenda for the UK.

- STAFF REPORTER

The cross-party group - which brings together MPs, peers and stakeholders from the food, farming and research communities - has long championed the need for more proportionate, evidence-based regulation of new breeding technologies.

Members of the group first paved the way for post-Brexit regulatory reform on precision breeding by tabling an amendment to the Agriculture Act 2020, securing a ministerial commitment to bring forward new legislation.

APPGSTA chair George Freeman MP said: "Implementation of the Precision Breeding Act marks an important step in ensuring that farmers, consumers and the environment can benefit from advances in gene editing and other precision breeding techniques.

"We expect applications to come forward which will offer the potential to increase yields, reduce chemical inputs, enhance disease resistance, cut food waste and improve nutritional quality across a range of different crops."

Mr Freeman said the new legislation puts England ahead of the rest of Europe, and aligns rules with other innovation leaders including Australia, Japan, Canada, Brazil, Argentina and the United States.