Gene editing heralds new era for agriculture

The government has moved a step closer to departing with European Union policy on the use of advanced techniques in plant breeding. On 25^th May, George Eustice, DEFRA secretary, told Parliament that “outside the EU, we are free to follow the science” in reference to the Genetic Technology (Precision Breeding) Bill put before MPs that day.

“These precision technologies,” he said, “allow us to speed up the breeding of plants that have natural resistance to disease and better use of soil nutrients so we can have higher yields with fewer pesticide and fertilisers”.  

The Bill, which has been broadly welcomed by scientists but condemned by some environmental groups and organic farming organisations, follows the DEFRA consultation on genetic technologies in 2021. At the time the consultation was introduced the government said, “genetic technologies have great potential” and indicated that a wider review of GMO regulation in general was also on the agenda.

That the government has favoured an approach supported by the science should not come as a surprise. The UK’s status as a world leader in genetics and genomics is widely recognised. It is hoped that the latest proposed piece of legislation, once enacted, will spur investment in UK science and research.

Perhaps just as importantly, it means that the economic benefit of the breeding advances made by scientists in the UK are shared with growers here rather than by others in jurisdictions where these crops can already be freely cultivated.

Specific examples of how the proposed legislation will benefit society are few and far between, but in what DEFRA chief scientist Gideon Henderson acknowledged to be fortuitous timing, researchers at the John Innes Centre (JIC) in Norwich published work where they had successfully created tomatoes high in vitamin D using gene editing technology.

Published in Nature Plants, the project could help address a human health problem. About one billion people worldwide, including 40% of Europeans, are reckoned to have Vitamin D insufficiency. The researchers used the CRISPR technique to make a small change to the tomato’s DNA. The gene-edited tomatoes grown under ultraviolet lights in JIC greenhouses contained enough vitamin D for two medium sized fruits to meet an average adult’s daily requirement.

Whatever advances in plant breeding this legislation promotes, it is the ambition of government to create a simpler regulatory framework that would see them adopted commercially in far less time than is possible under existing legislation.

“We anticipate [the bill] will enable precision-bred crops to navigate the regulatory system much more quickly, in something like one year compared with approximately 10 years under the present regime,” Professor Henderson told the House of Lords.

While government has been keen to promote the potential the Genetic Technology (Precision Breeding) Bill offers, MPs and Lords will be certain to scrutinise the details, notes Antonia Walker, Bayer campaign manager for root crops.

“Without a doubt the potential benefits are huge, especially in the fresh produce sector where fruit and vegetables are sold without first needing to be processed. There is a great win-win to had if we get this right. It could benefit the environment through reduced use of plant protection products and society through less food waste but given the antipathy of many to advanced breeding techniques, MPs will be keen to be seen asking some testing questions of government before voting in its favour.”

The legislation, if passed, would apply to England only. It is for the devolved administration in Wales and Scotland to decide if they wish to follow the policy lead of England.