The European Commission is set to propose removing some of the red tape around the use of gene-edited crops on 5 July.
The proposals would allow access for products derived from gene-edited plants into the EU market without the current onerous approval and labelling process, in a first for the union.
Gene-editing permissions will come with caveats – the editing must only create new plant varieties that could have been achieved through traditional breeding techniques and such editing must have a sustainability benefit.
This climate benefit could include plant traits for drought, frost or fungus resistance, for example.
In the Commission proposals, EU officials suggest the new gene-editing techniques will be vital to maintaining crop yields as agriculture works to adapt to climate change.
