Senior Policy Manager John Flanagan assesses gene editing technology and its place in Scottish Agriculture
Science and Advice for Scottish Agriculture (SASA) recently held a gene editing roundtable as an information gathering exercise from interested stakeholders. It was hoped this would be the start of moving the technology into Scottish legislation.
What is gene editing (GE) or precision breeding, as it is also known?
Genetic-edited (GE) crops have simpler genetic alterations than genetically-modified (GM) versions. GM plants have had their DNA altered in a way that does not happen naturally, usually involving the inclusion of genes from completely different plants. GE on the other hand, is a new genomic technology that uses naturally occurring enzymes to change DNA in a very precise way. As this is a natural process, there has been debate on whether this should be classed as genetic modification (GM).
GE is a way to produce crops with specific traits that may otherwise be slow, unpredictable and expensive to produce through conventional breeding. Most GE strategies utilise site-directed nucleases to create alterations at pre-determined points in an organism’s DNA. In other word, GE exploits a newly discovered 'molecular scissors' to cut and alter the genetic information, a pre-determined gene sequence, of a plant, which can lead to a yield boost, improved resistance to pests and diseases and enhanced nutrient content.
Ultimately, GE is another breeding technique that is used to produce better crops.
New varieties and breeds with desirable traits are an important piece of the sustainable farming jigsaw, alongside other tools, such as Integrated Pest Management (IPM) and the sustainable use of plant protection products (PPPs).
There are already laws, regulatory controls and processes in place to protect human, animal and environmental health in the use of this breeding technique, allaying any public concerns.
What is government’s stance and why precision breeding important?
Precision bred crops or GE, have the potential to transform food systems by crop varieties that provide resilience to climate change, pest and disease resistance, and the enhancement of nutrients in feed and food in a time-efficient and precise way.
There has been a global shift in the past decade in the use and legislation of this technology, with only some (including the European Union (EU)) classifying GE and GM as the same technology.
The UK Government has said that GE is not GM, and the UK Parliament have passed both the primary and secondary legislation of the Genetic Technology (Precision Breeding) Act 2023, which establishes a new class of regulated products:
Precision Bred Organisms. These include plants that contain genetic changes made by precision breeding technologies, which could also have arisen by traditional breeding processes.
The European view currently, is that GE and GM are classed the same under legislation adopted in 2001. However, there is a view that this legislation is not fit for purpose for these breeding technologies and there appears an appetite to change. A very recent agreement on the council's negotiating mandate allows its presidency to start trilogue negotiations with the European Parliament on the final text of the regulation around GE in crops.
The Scottish Government had said it will wait for a decision from the EU before deciding how to proceed on its stance. It is likely that it will align with EU policy, but recent changes south of the border has also opened up willingness to begin exploring this option in Scotland.
What does NFU Scotland think about this technology and what activity is happening in the Union?
The NFUS position is supportive of gene editing as it does not involve adding genes from different organisms and instead, is just speeding up existing breeding techniques. It is an important piece of the sustainable farming jigsaw for NFUS members, alongside IPM and sustainable use of pesticides. It is our collective view that GE forms part of the answer for future food production in Scotland, the nation’s food security, as well as helping to tackle climate change and biodiversity loss.
NFUS has been lobbying Scottish Government to review its stance in the face of scientific research for some time, and has urged it to make provision for Scottish growers to access this essential tool. The Union has highlighted the border implications between Scotland and England, now that the legislation is fully implemented down south. It encouraged Scottish Government to consider this going forward.
Notes to editors:
Image of Senior Policy Manager John Flanagan is attached.
Contact John Flanagan on 07842 306461