Written by Tom Allen-Stevens
Support is growing for an amendment to the Agriculture Bill to encourage new plant-breeding techniques in the UK. Tom Allen-Stevens reports. The British Society of Plant Breeders (BSPB) is urging members of the House of Lords to support the amendment which could give Britain’s scientists and breeders access to the latest gene-editing techniques. This would mark a step change in prospects for crop improvement, says BSPB, resulting in more sustainable, productive and climate-resilient agriculture. Amendment 275, tabled by Lord Cameron of Dillington and supported by Baroness Hayman, Lord Krebs and Lord Rooker, will be debated by Peers during Committee Stage currently taking place in Parliament. The amendment paves the way for the Government to consult on and, if appropriate, make a simple change to the Environmental Protection Act which would reverse EU rules classifying gene-edited products as GMOs. Widespread support New BSPB chief executive Samantha Brooke The move, initiated by the APPG on Science and Technology in Agriculture, has attracted widespread support from across the scientific, farming, plant breeding, food processing and international development sectors. It would be an important step in re-aligning Britain with the regulatory stance of other countries around the world, says BSPB new chief executive Samantha Brooke,…
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