Plant scientists remain deeply concerned about European regulations on genome editing

Exactly two years ago, the European Court of Justice decided to make the use of CRISPR in plants subject to GMO legislation. This means that the use of this technique is subject to prohibitive restrictions, unlike in most non-EU countries, including the US, Canada and Australia. A large group of European plant scientists had already written an open letter last year to express their concerns about this decision. Today they are publishing a new open letter.

Because CRISPR does not introduce foreign DNA in plants, this technology is comparable to conventional plant breeding techniques. The researchers are disappointed with the European decision to make CRISPR subject to the same GMO legislation as crops with introduced foreign DNA. In the open letter, the researchers express their concerns that this restrictive attitude will seriously harm the European seed sector, trade and research, since elsewhere in the world there are essentially no restrictions on the use of CRISPR technology.

Green Deal

The researchers also emphasize that genome editing techniques such as CRISPR are very important in the context of developing climate-resilient crops and sustainable agriculture. In the recently published European ‘Green Deal’, the EU even advocates the development of innovative ways to reduce dependence on pesticides and fertilisers and reduce the loss of biodiversity. Precision plant breeding techniques such as CRISPR fit very well in this toolbox, the open letter states.

Wereldkaart waarop staat aangegeven welke landen restrictieve regelgeving hebben over genome editing.

Open letter 2019

In last year’s open letter, the scientists already expressed their concerns about the European decision. “The economic consequences of this decision could be considerable, especially for a country like the Netherlands, which is a major world player in plant breeding. Dutch plant breeders account for 40% of horticultural seed sales worldwide.” Moreover, the scientists emphasized that there is sufficient regulation to ensure the safety of genome edited crops, even if they are not covered by GMO legislation.