On 24th May 2022 EPSO member-scientists and policy-makers from sixteen countries across Europe held the sixth informal meeting to assess the situation for research and development on New Plant Breeding Technologies (NPBTs) after the ruling of the ECJ in July 2018.
They exchanged views on the current situation of genome editing (GE) in Europe and possible next steps to enable Europe to better address climate change, achieve food and nutritional security, and establish a sustainable agriculture in Europe and world-wide. Such steps should bring the discussion forward on the EU legislation and facilitating potential flagships. The meeting was held under Chatham House Rules.
The next meeting will be held in 2023.
EPSO offers to collaborate with policy-makers to develop an appropriate future-ready regulation to enable the European public sector, small- and medium-sized enterprises and farmers to contribute more comprehensively to food and nutritional security and to use all available tools to reduce the environmental impact of agriculture. Notwithstanding the technical option retained, EPSO supports a science-based revision of the present European legislation establishing a more proportionate product-based risk assessment. EPSO is also willing to contribute to the societal debate on genome editing and to communicate in a fact-based and yet accessible manner about innovative plant science and its societal role.
Jens Sundström, Alan Schulman and Karin Metzlaff
Read the 6th meeting report
Contacts:
Jens Sundström, EPSO Chair WG Agricultural Technologies
Alan Schulman, EPSO Chair WG Agricultural Technologies
Karin Metzlaff, EPSO Executive Director