Resilient crops on the horizon after UK’s gene editing Bill progresses to House of Lords

02 Nov 2022 --- A Bill that could spell the beginning of a new British era of precision breeding technologies, including gene editing, is edging closer to fruition, having now passed through the House of Lords.

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) say that introducing a more proportionate and science-based regulatory system for precision-bred plants and animals will unlock opportunities to develop crops that are more resilient against disease and the effects of climate change like drought and flooding, and less reliant on pesticides.

The third Reading of the Genetic Technology (Precision Breeding) Bill happened on Monday (October 31) and was introduced in the House of Lords yesterday.

Firming up food security 
It is believed that genetic technologies can increase yields, make food more nutritious and result in crops being more resistant to disease and weather extremes.

The Bill covers precision-bred plants and animals developed through techniques such as gene editing, where the genetic changes could have occurred naturally or through traditional breeding methods. This differs from genetic modification (GM), which produces organisms containing additional genes.

It is believed that genetic technologies can increase yields, make food more nutritious and result in crops being more resistant to disease and weather extremes.

The government acknowledges a need to safeguard animal welfare in the new regulatory framework, enabling precision breeding technologies with plants first, followed by animals later.

Welcomed by UK scientists
Prominent research institute in England, the John Innes Centre, welcomes the progress on the Bill, claiming it will allow the center to continue working closely with farmers and food producers to deliver innovative improvements to crops benefiting health and the environment.

“We welcome the development of this legislation and the science-led approaches to enable its delivery. Our scientists use gene editing to improve the crops we eat every day, including wheat, cabbage, tomatoes and pea,” explains the director of the John Innes Centre, Professor Graham Moore.

Under this new legislation, plants produced using precision breeding technologies will be monitored through two notification systems: precision-bred organisms used for research purposes and marketing purposes.

Researchers are working on understanding and developing wheat resilient to climate change. Using gene editing techniques, the research team identified a key gene in wheat that can be used to introduce traits such as heat resilience while maintaining high yield. 

This discovery presents an opportunity to identify variations of the gene that can give wheat varieties resilience to climate change.

“We must use technologies such as gene editing if we are to meaningfully tackle the complex challenges of climate change, food security and disease,” continues Professor Moore.

“The Precision Breeding Bill will allow our scientists to work more closely with food producers to address these complex issues and, at the same time, capitalize on the UK’s world-leading research expertise in these areas.

“I look forward to continuing to work with Defra in delivering against the Bill and in making the most of this opportunity to deliver real impact from our research into plant and microbial sciences.”

The Bill will:

• Remove plants and animals produced through precision breeding technologies from regulatory requirements applicable to the environmental release and marketing of GMOs (Genetically Modified Organisms).
• Introduce two notification systems; one for precision-bred organisms used for research purposes and the other for marketing purposes. 
• Establish a proportionate regulatory system for precision-bred animals to ensure animal welfare is safeguarded.
• Establish a new science-based authorization process for food and feed products developed using precision-bred plants and animals.

Edited by Gaynor Selby