Strasbourg, France, June 17, 2026 (AFP)
European farmers will be allowed to use some gene-edited crops under an easing of restrictions that won a final go-ahead by EU lawmakers on Wednesday.
The European Parliament voted in favour of a broader use of plants obtained by so-called new genomic techniques (NGTs), which proponents say can make crops more resistant to drought and disease.
"By approving the use of NGTs, we have chosen innovation, competitiveness and food security," said Jessica Polfjard, a centre-right lawmaker who sponsored the text.
The new rules are opposed by some environmentalists and small farmers, who worry both that only big firms will be able to afford the new crops -- and that patents risk becoming concentrated in the hands of biotech firms.
"EU decision-makers... chose to prioritise the profits of a few biotech giants over the rights of those that feed us," said Mute Schimpf of Friends of the Earth, an environmental group.
NGT plants are created when a small part of their DNA is added, removed or altered using genetic editing tools, as opposed to older GMO techniques, which involve introducing genetic material from one organism into another to make a hybrid.
Leading agriculture unions support the new technique for developing crops that are more resistant to the effects of climate change or require less fertiliser and pesticide.
Supporters say some NGTs only speed up genetic modifications that could have come about naturally or through traditional crossbreeding procedures.
The law divides NGT plants into two categories.
NGT 1 plants -- considered to be equivalent to their naturally occurring varieties -- would be freed from authorisations, labelling and monitoring rules for GMOs, which are strictly regulated by the bloc.
All other NGT plants would fall into the NGT 2 category, which would mostly remain under the GMO restrictions.
No NGTs will be allowed in organic farming, parliament said, adding lawmakers had inserted safeguards to prevent patenting from leading to market concentration.
Both NGT and older GMO techniques have their critics in the EU who fear unpredictable impacts on the environment or food chains.
The Pollinis NGO has raised concerns about labelling, noting that NGT 1 plants' presence would have to be indicated on bags of seeds purchased by farmers but not on finished products.
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Sumber : AFP