Secondary legislation to allow the production of precision-bred crops in England has been passed by the UK’s Parliament.
The Genetic Technology (Precision Breeding) Regulations 2025, which was signed into law in May by the Minister for the Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), Daniel Zeichner, will allow farmers, scientists and food producers to use gene-editing techniques to develop crops that have traits that could have occurred naturally or through traditional breeding but with greater precision. The regulation is set to be implemented before the end of 2025 and UK consumers could see gene-edited products in shops before the end of 2026.
Precision breeding, as defined in the legislation, results in a plant that could have been generated through traditional breeding or natural processes, but at a much faster pace. This change brings England more into line with the regulatory approaches taken by countries including Canada, Australia, Brazil, Argentina, the US and Japan.
Welcoming the development Dr Penny Hundleby, research partnership and HP3 Hub lead at the John Innes Centre said: “The passing of this forward-thinking legislation means that this science will be able to benefit the health of people, plants, and the planet. The use of precision breeding technologies in research will expand our understanding of plant genetics and strengthen the entire agricultural science ecosystem, reinforcing the country’s leadership in agricultural innovation.”
Explaining the practical benefits of the legislation, the John Innes Centre said that it has used precision breeding techniques to develop tomatoes fortified with vitamin D by gene editing natural pathways so that the tomatoes accumulate more provitamin D3. The legislation means that crops gene edited in this way can now be marketed and sold in the England.
The term precision breeding covers a wide range genetic technologies that allow breeders to make precise and targeted changes to the DNA of plants. It can be used to introduce beneficial new traits such as resistance to pests and diseases, improved nutritional value and climate resilience. The UK government is backing precision breeding technology due to its potential to increase food production, reduce costs for farmers and enable the cultivation of drought and disease-resistant crops.
Speaking during a debate in the House of Lords, just days ahead of the regulation being agreed upon, Baroness Hayman of Ullock, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs said: “These [new] regulations provide the practical and technical detail to implement a new science-based and proportionate regulatory system for precision-bred plants, as set out in the [Genetic Technology (Precision Breeding) Act 2023].
Baroness Hayman added: “The territorial application of these regulations is England only and covers the environmental release and marketing of precision-bred plants as well as their use in food and feed in England. This includes a process administered by Defra to confirm that plants are precision bred—not genetically modified—before they can be marketed. It also establishes a food and feed marketing authorisation process administered by the Food Standards Agency which allows products to be placed safely on the market.”
Jonathan Clarke, head of business development at the John Innes Centre said: “As an early adopter of this innovative technology in Europe, England can now benefit from investment from organisations wanting to commercially develop precision bred crops. The passing of this legislation allows the momentum to continue and furthers the economic viability of these important scientific innovations.”
Also welcoming the new regulation Professor Nigel Halford, who leads at Rothamsted Research on gene edited wheat said: “It is tremendously exciting, and I applaud everyone who has worked hard to get the legislation over the line. There are still issues with the devolved governments siting on their hands and the EU playing catch up, but for now we should celebrate. Most importantly its win for science and common sense.”
However, there are concerns that this development in England could be jeopardised as the UK resets its relationship with the European Union. George Freeman, Chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Science and Technology in Agriculture, and former UK government science minister sought reassurance that the regulation “will not be a casualty of a prospective new Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) agreement between the UK and EU.”
In a commentary for
Science for Sustainable Agriculture, Freeman said: “England is now ahead of every other European country in adopting more progressive regulations, and we have an opportunity to capitalise on that." Freeman cited reports that indicated a deal on SPS deal could mean the UK government agreeing to ‘dynamic alignment’ with the EU’s food safety rules in return for easier trading arrangements with the bloc.
“Although proposed new EU rules on gene editing are currently under discussion [in the EU], we do not yet know (and have no say in) what the outcome of those deliberations will be. The products of precision breeding techniques such as gene editing are presently regulated as GMOs in the European Union,” Freeman added.
The EU uses the precautionary principle, which requires a pre-market authorisation for any GMO to enter the market.
Toby Bruce, Professor of Insect Ecology at Keele University, said: “Innovation in agriculture is needed to tackle food and environment challenges. Restricting options for crop development means that opportunities are lost. New efficient crops could improve food security while allowing adaption to climate change. They could help reduce the environmental footprint of farming and free up land for biodiversity conservation.
“The UK Precision Breeding Act is limited to gene editing. It does not cover insertion of foreign genes beyond those that could have been achieved through traditional breeding methods. It addresses a strange anomaly of current EU legislation: targeted mutagenesis using gene editing techniques is banned at the moment, but random mutagenesis induced by radiation or chemical treatment is allowed.”
Further reading:
• The gene genius: Advances in genetically edited crops [Premium]
• New Zealand updates gene editing regulation allowing commercialisation of research
• UK’s gene editing plan could help protect environment
• Gene editing shows promise for tackling mosquitoes
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