After years of intense lobbying, negotiation, and semantic gymnastics, it’s official. Europe is set to open its farm gates and plates to new genetic technologies, without the guardrails of labelling, monitoring, or liability. Natasha Foote breaks down exactly what this means and what’s next. […]
Yesterday the European Parliament voted to open farm gates – and by extension, our plates – to New Genetic Technologies (NGTs). This is a seismic development that reveals cracks in the EU’s democratic institutions. How now to defend our rights as consumers to choose what we eat? Comment by ARC2020 board member Benny Haerlin. […]
In a few short weeks, the European Parliament will have the power to open Europe’s farmgates and plates to new genetic technologies, without the guardrails of labelling, monitoring, or liability. But in Brussels, an eleventh-hour battle is brewing. So is this game, set and match? Or is there still something to play for? Natasha Foote brings you the latest from Brussels. […]
EU lawmakers have been locked in intense negotiations for months on loosening rules on the use of new genetic technologies in plant breeding. But talks are stalling on one particularly sticky issue. So why have patents become so central in this story, and what would it mean for farmers and breeders if lawmakers get their way on permitting patents? Natasha Foote digs in. […]
In advance of the first trilogue meeting on “new genomic techniques” that took place this week, the industry launched a statement against GMO labelling. Only the Parliament, not the Council nor the Commission, want consumer labelling of new GM products. Op-ed by Franziska Achterberg, Head of Policy and Advocacy at Save Our Seeds. […]
EU countries have officially sealed their position on plans to loosen rules on the use of new genetic technologies, setting the ball rolling towards deregulation of new GMOs in the near future. But this isn’t the end of the story just yet. So what happens now? Natasha Foote brings you the latest from Brussels. […]
EU countries are teetering on the brink of an agreement which would take new GMOs one step closer to our plates and several steps back from current protections governing the technology. What’s happening, what’s at stake, and what does that mean for next steps? Natasha Foote breaks it all down for you. […]
The field of plant biotechnology is undergoing a profound transformation. The rise of generative artificial intelligence (AI) tools is fundamentally reshaping the way genetic engineering is conducted. AI-driven genetic engineering may be vulnerable to well-known limitations of AI, such as the black box effect, hallucinations and data errors, raising concerns that plants with undesirable traits could be engineered and released into the environment. How should the EU respond? Benny Haerlin and Franziska Achterberg of Save our Seeds summarise findings of the organisation’s report When Chatbots Breed New Plant Varieties. […]
The Danish Green Tripartite could lock in the existing industrial farming system, based on the promises of questionable (bio)technologies. Denmark’s farming system needs a structural transformation and the use of GMOs should be tightly regulated to prevent further ecological damage. As it stands, this Agreement will do nothing to transform the farming sector in Denmark to a truly sustainable model. By June Rebekka Bresson (Noah, Denmark) and Franziska Achterberg (SOS, Germany). […]
This week saw an unsuccessful last-ditch attempt to push the EU’s proposal to loosen rules on gene editing over the finish line, leaving the plans on ice. Meanwhile, it’s all been Politics with a capital P as Belgium prepares to hand the presidency over to Hungary, while leaders jostle for Brussels’ top jobs and considerations start on redrawing the lines of the European Parliament’s committees – a shake up which could have big impacts on the way agriculture files are handled. Natasha Foote and Oliver Moore bring you the latest from Brussels. […]
A new report from A Bigger Conversation highlights the unique needs and perspectives – and values-based choices – of agroecological farmers when it comes to agricultural technologies. By Ayms Mason. Republished from A Bigger Conversation. […]
The EU’s food safety agency will put together a new opinion on the categorisation of new genomic techniques – NGT’s – (also called new GMOs or gene editing) on the request of the European Parliament, following reports from multiple national agencies calling into question the scientific validity of the proposed criteria. […]
EU plans to slash the use and risk of pesticides have fallen on the back of farmers’ protests, which have dominated both headlines and the political agenda in recent days. Meanwhile there are plenty of other discussions cooking in Brussels which could have far reaching consequences for the future direction of the sector. Natasha Foote brings you a run down of the latest from Strasbourg and what you should watch this week. […]
The EU’s proposal to loosen the rules around the use of new genetic technologies in plant breeding has been greenlit by the European Parliament’s environment committee, meaning it is now on its way for a full Parliamentary vote in February. […]
Below is the editorial from our latest newsletter, released Thursday 21st December. Hello dear readers, As this year comes to a close, it’s hard to know what to think about life, the universe and everything. One thing is for sure, ‘the end of history’ – that didn’t materialise. […]
Agricultural and Rural Convention
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