The Government has announced that it will establish a ‘proportionate regulatory system’ for precision bred animals to ensure animal welfare is safeguarded, as the Genetic Technology (Precision Breeding) Act passed into law today.
The Act, covering England only, will set in motion changes to allow precision breeding using technologies such as gene editing to adapt the genetic code of organisms – creating beneficial traits in plants that through traditional, breeding would take decades to achieve, Defra said.
The technology can be used for example, to enable farmers to grow crops which are drought and disease resistant, reduce use of fertilisers and pesticides, and help breed animals that are resistant to harmful diseases. The pig sector has already gone some way down this route experimentally – researchers at the Roslin Institute in collaboration with Genus, have used gene editing to produce pigs resistant to PRRS.
Under the provisions of this Act, a new science-based and streamlined regulatory system will be introduced to facilitate greater research and innovation in precision breeding – with stricter regulations remaining in place for genetically modified organisms (GMOs).
However, while Defra will set up a new regulatory to govern use of the technology in animals, it stressed that it will not be introducing changes to the regulations for animals until this system is in place, meaning in reality we are little closer to knowing when or if the technology will be permitted in England.
Defra said the Act ensures that before we see any changes to market, the Food Standards Agency will consult on new food and feed legislation and produce a new proportionate risk assessment for precision bred food and feed. England joins countries such as Argentina, the US, Australia and Japan that have already enacted similar legislation, driving innovation on a global scale and helping fight the greatest challenges facing the world.
Defra said that while there is great potential for increasing innovation through the technology, the government recognises that there is a need to safeguard animal welfare in the new regulatory framework. “That is why we are taking a step-by-step approach, enabling use of precision breeding technologies with plants first followed by animals later,” it said.
Gene editing is different to genetic modification (GM), which produces crops containing genetic changes that could not have occurred through traditional breeding or occur naturally.
Food Minister Mark Spencer said: “The Genetic Technology Act is fantastic news for British consumers and farmers. Precision Breeding technologies are the future of food production not just at home, but around the world, and this Act will put our nation at the forefront of this revolution.
“Some 40% of crops globally are lost every year to floods, pests and other external events, and this new law will unlock our agri-biotech industry to support resilient food production for decades to come.”
Defra’s Chief Scientific Adviser Gideon Henderson said: “This is an important time for agricultural science. The ability to use gene editing to make precise, targeted changes to the genetic code of organisms, in a way that can mimic traditional breeding, enables development of new crop varieties that are more resistant to pests, healthier to eat, and more resilient to drought and heat as climate changes.”
The Act has the powers to:
- Remove plants and animals in produced through precision breeding technologies from regulatory requirements applicable in England 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 new science-based authorisation process for food and feed products derived from using precision bred plants and animals.
Reaction
PIC’s Craig Lewis said genome editing gives agriculture the potential to address major causes of animal welfare, reduce antibiotic use, ease management, and improve sustainability, and its ability to address global disease challenges such as, like PRRS, represents ‘a new era for our industry’.
“Royal Assent is an important milestone on the journey for the industry to be able to embrace these new technologies – however it is not the finish line,” he said.
“The next steps in the process must continue to advocate for science based and proportional legislation that enables rather than restricts the use of precision breeding technologies in agriculture, including the pig sector.
The NFU is urging the government to ensure that new regulations are enabling and proportionate to the low levels of risk in order to successfully deliver the benefits of gene editing technology, including improving animal health and welfare, for farmers, shoppers and the environment,
NFU Vice President David Exwood said: “Biotechnology is by no means a silver bullet, but having access to more targeted precision breeding tools for our crops and livestock could really help bolster climate-friendly food production and support biodiversity here in Britain.
“It’s important to note that the passage of the Bill is only the first step. As it is implemented through further legislation, regulations must be fit for purpose if it is to provide a meaningful boost to our food resilience and food security.”