European Parliament Releases Draft Report on the Proposal for the Regulation of Plants Obtained from New Genomic Techniques
- Draft report supports the European Commission proposal to introduce a new regulation on plants obtained by certain new genomic techniques (NGTs) and their food and feed
- Proposed regulation identifies a ‘Conventional-like’ category of NGT products that would be regulated as conventional varieties, bringing EU policy closer to that of trading partners in North and South America, Australia, and Japan
- Report states that new genomic techniques have the ability to enhance agriculture by making crops more resilient and sustainable whilst providing unprecedented opportunities for European agriculture and food production
- Under the proposal, products from Cibus’ gene editing platform such as canola and oilseed rape resistant to disease or with reduced seed losses would be considered ‘Conventional-like'
SAN DIEGO, Nov. 06, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Cibus, Inc. (Nasdaq: CBUS), a leading agricultural technology company that develops and licenses plant traits to seed companies, acknowledged the European Parliament’s draft report on the European Commission proposal for regulation of plants obtained from New Genomic Techniques (NGTs). The proposal is a result of a European Commission study, requested by EU Member States, which concluded that EU GMO legislation was not fit for purpose in relation to applications of NGTs in plants. NGTs include a variety of gene editing techniques leading to genetic changes classed as targeted mutagenesis and cisgenesis.
The proposal describes a category of NGTs producing modifications that could be obtained in nature or by conventional breeding. These are determined to be ‘Conventional-like’ and would be regulated in the same way as conventional varieties. The proposal was adopted by the EU College of Commissioners at their meeting on July 5th, 2023 and was passed to the European Parliament and the Council of the European Union for review.
“We welcome the proposal from the European Commission and the ambitious goals outlined by the European institutions,” said Tony Moran, Cibus Senior Vice President of International Development and Government Affairs. “Europe initiated discussions on these techniques in 2008 but has since been overtaken by a growing number of countries that are benefitting through more enabling legislation. The proposed regulations improve alignment with EU trading partners and a timely adoption would be a significant boost for innovators particularly in academia and small and mid-sized enterprises who are actively developing NGT products that could contribute to a sustainable EU agri-food system.”
The draft report, published by the European Parliament Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety on 19th October, represents the first stage of their review and is a significant step in the passage of the proposal through the EU legislative procedure.
The draft report recognizes the Commission proposal as a solid starting point and recommends further improvements to ensure the best possible usage of the techniques in the EU. These include clarification of the criteria for conventional-like NGT plants, freedom of choice for organic farmers to use NGTs plants and ensuring a science-based verification procedure.
The Committee is aiming to finalise its report by January 2024 ahead of a vote in a plenary session of the European Parliament in February.
Source: Draft Report from European Parliament ENVI Committee Rapporteur can be found here via the following link:
About Cibus
Cibus is a leader in gene edited productivity traits that address critical productivity and sustainability areas for farmers such as diseases and pests which the United Nations estimates cost the global economy approximately $300 billion annually. Cibus is not a seed company. It is a technology company that develops and licenses traits to leading seed companies. Cibus’ focus is developing scale, multi-crop traits in the major global crops such as canola, rice, and soybean. Traits that can make a real impact in global agricultural productivity. Cibus is the technology leader in high throughput gene editing technology with its Trait Machine™ process. It enables Cibus to develop plant traits precisely and predictably at a fraction of the time and cost of conventional breeding. Cibus has developed a pipeline of five productivity traits including important traits for pod shatter reduction, disease resistance, and weed management. Its initial traits for pod shatter reduction and weed management are developed and are in commercial collaborations with leading seed companies. Its other pipeline traits, including Sclerotinia resistance, are in advanced greenhouse and field trial stages.
Forward Looking Statements
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