Higher yields and hardier plants could be on the cards for English farmers, after the Genetic Technology (Precision Breeding) Act 2023 for plants came into force in England today.
Following a six-month implementation period, the act makes the country the first in Europe to enable the development of precision-bred-plants.
Advocates said it would help farmers to adapt to changes in climate and make their plants more resistant to disease, although opponents previously warned it should not be seen as a “silver bullet” and was not a “risk-free technology”.
The milestone was hailed by the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Science and Technology in Agriculture as a “landmark moment for British science”. It has called for a “new, pro-innovation focused agricultural agenda for the UK”.
“From today 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,” said group chair George Freeman, the Conservative MP for Mid Norfolk.
He said the act aligned England with what he dubbed “innovation leaders” – Australia, Japan, Canada, Brazil, Argentina and the US – and stressed it supported core elements of the government’s food, industrial and trade and investment strategies.
“Improved access to precision breeding technologies such as gene editing opens up new opportunities for economic growth and global leadership,” he said. “These innovations can help improve the resilience of our domestic food supply, create new high-value export markets, attract inward investment and support Britain’s ambition to be a leader in green growth.”
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The APPG also urged Defra to set a “clear timetable” for the implementation of the act’s farmed animal provisions and pointed to this bird flu season’s potential virulence as key evidence of its need.
“UK researchers lead the world in using gene editing techniques to develop poultry resistant to bird flu and pigs protected against PRRS and swine fever,” Freeman said. “But that potential will remain unrealised in practice until the government brings forward the secondary legislation needed to activate these powers.”
The Agricultural Biotechnology Council joined the parliamentary group in its praise of the legislation, although it cautioned the UK-EU “reset” should not “undermine this progress”.
“By embracing these gene editing technologies, we’re equipping our scientists and farmers with the tools they need to strengthen food security and respond to climate challenges,” said ABC chair Jon Williams, head of public and governmental affairs at BASF.
He added: “This is a pivotal moment for England’s agri-tech sector, and we hope this legislation will position England as a global leader in agricultural innovation. However, we must not let the UK-EU deal become a barrier to implementation or threaten the UK’s pro-innovation and pro-science approach to regulation.”
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