CropLife UK and abc welcome the announcement by Minister of State for Food Security and Rural Affairs Daniel Zeichner on the Government’s decision to pass the secondary legislation required to unlock the benefits of the Genetic Technology (Precision Breeding) Act.
The Genetic Technology (Precision Breeding) Act, passed in March 2023, was a milestone for the UK science and innovation sector. The Government’s commitment to passing the Secondary Legislation demonstrates a positive approach to evidence-based regulation that is a vital step towards enabling the full potential of precision breeding in agriculture. We encourage Government to continue in this direction by prioritising the timeframe in which secondary legislation is laid, whilst ensuring that regulations remain clear, concise and proportionate to the safety of precision-bred products, to fully actualise these benefits.
Precision breeding is a set of tools for the life sciences sector which can deliver innovation more quickly to the agricultural industry, helping to ensure food security in the face of a changing climate. Our members, who are leaders in plant sciences and R&D, welcome the commitments of the Government and its predecessors for creating pathways to market these technologies. The secondary legislation is a critical step in attracting investment to this globally important sector, signaling that the UK supports life sciences and promotes economic growth and innovation as well as helping farmers tackle climate change and support sustainable farming.
CropLife UK and abc are committed to working closely with Government, the wider food industry and stakeholders to ensure that the UK agricultural sector can benefit from the full potential of precision breeding and other biotechnologies in the future.
CropLife UK Chief Executive, Dave Bench, said "This announcement is an important step in creating a regulatory environment that enables a route to market for precision bred crops in England. That is critical for investment to flow into the UK rather than elsewhere. Other parts of the world are ahead of us and the UK risks being left behind if our excellent R&D capability cannot convert its expertise into commercial opportunities.
Our sector is at the forefront of innovation in growing crops. This new law could allow us to bring new crop traits to market; helping farming to be sustainable and address the challenges of climate change and food security.”
