GeneSprout Initiative
GeneSprout Initiative is led by young plant scientists.
ID: 707254546970-58
Lobbying Activity
Response to Legislation for plants produced by certain new genomic techniques
5 Nov 2023
GeneSprout Initiative is an early-career researcher initiative dedicated to fostering an open dialogue on NGTs (New Genomic Techniques) and the EU policy surrounding them. GeneSprout Initiative welcomes the ECs proposal that will guarantee equal access of category 1 plants to the market as their conventionally bred counterparts. We support that the criteria dividing NGT-derived plants into category 1 and 2 are clearly defined to ensure unambiguous regulation. We agree that plants of category 1 are subject to the novel food regulation, just as conventionally bred crops, to ensure their safety when nutritional values have been modified. GeneSprout Initiative foresees that the smaller administrative hurdle for launching a novel category 1 plant, will open up the market for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs). We also welcome the public register for category 1 plants that will allow traceability and thus freedom of choice and we support the case-by-case assessment for category 2 plants. We see the exclusion of NGTs plants from organic farming systems as a missed opportunity to give organic cultivation a tool that aligns with sustainability efforts. Additionally, we see some restriction to the application of the DNA changes to polyploid crops that have multiple sets of chromosomes, because any change would be multiplied and thus the application would become very restrictive. Furthermore, we are concerned with the right to delegated acts described in the proposal as we apprehend the legal leeway this enables. We apprehend that SMEs will not be competitive on the market regarding plants of category 2, because of the administrative load. We are convinced that an ongoing open-dialogue about the proposal and a science-based approach will allow for a fit-for-purpose regulation that will assure Europes position at the international forefront of plant breeding and as a leading example for a sustainable agricultural future.
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