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More field trials with plants from New Genetic Engineering in Europe

Deregulation in the UK leads to more NGT field trials

According to statistics from the Testbiotech association, a total of 35 field trials have been approved in the EU since 2016. The applications were previously assessed for risks by the respective countries and carried out in Spain, Sweden and Belgium. Since Brexit, there have also been 18 releases in the UK alone, where the government has deregulated the handling of NGT plants since 2023.

This means that there is no longer an authorisation procedure in the UK and the risks of field experiments with genetically modified plants are not assessed. The releases of NGT plants produced with the help of CRISPR-Cas gene scissors mainly concern maize and potatoes. However, there have also been experiments with wheat, camelina, tobacco, poplar and rapeseed.

EU genetic engineering regulations: Risk assessment in jeopardy

To date, experimental releases in the EU have been regulated by the genetic engineering regulations of the individual Member States and are subject to different requirements and risk assessments. However, NGT plants for which commercial authorisation is applied for are assessed by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) and authorised by the EU Commission following consultations with the Member States. The EU Commission's plans to deregulate genetic engineering regulations mean that these safety measures, and therefore also the precautionary principle, are up for debate.

EU Parliament opposes new import authorisations  

The EU Parliament recently spoke out opposing new import authorisations for transgenic maize/corn and cotton varieties. It justified the resolutions on the grounds that the plants produce insecticides due to genetic manipulation that were not found in the food chain before the advent of genetic engineering. It was argued that this could lead to risks in food and animal feed as well as consequences for the environment. To date, around 100 different genetically modified crops such as soy, maize/corn, cotton, rapeseed and sugar beet have been authorised for import into the EU. They are often resistant to several herbicides at the same time. The parliamentary decision is not binding for the EU Commission, which has the final say.  
 

Developments in experimental releases with NGT plants in Europe (German)

EU Parliament votes against further import approvals for NGT plants

Hardly any NGT plants ready-to-market worldwide, hardly any climate-resilient varieties