EuropaBio

24 October 2018. In a press release and letter published today by leading scientists from across Europe, over 85 plant and life sciences research centres and institutes are jointly calling for EU action to safeguard modern breeding methods for sustainable agriculture. A recent European Court of Justice (CJEU) ruling which impacts modern genome editing techniques using mutagenesis could lead to a de facto ban of innovative crop breeding, they say, depriving European farmers from a new generation of more climate resilient and nutritious crops. They ask for a new regulatory framework that evaluates new crop varieties based on science.  

The new letter follows a number of other statements of European research institutes that followed the court ruling, as well as a recent open letter to European Commissioners for Agriculture, Research, and Jobs and Growth by French and German green biotech scientists.

One thing appears certain, the entire scientific community appears convinced that the recent CJEU ruling will bring European agricultural innovation in plant breeding to a halt if some form of political action is not taken. The consequences for our society and economy, including food security, could be enormous if not addressed.

For more information, see:

• The Court of Justice of the EU Ruling on Case C-528/16 and associated Press Release
• Press release and letter signed by leading scientists across Europe
• Media coverage and other statement published since ruling, as covered in rEvolutions
• Open letter to EC Commissioners on CJEU ruling by the Association Française des Biotechnologies Végétales (AFBV) and the German Wissenschaftlerkreis Grüne Gentechnik
• EuropaBio press release on CJEU ruling
• European Seed Association statement on CJEU ruling
• UK plant genetics: a regulatory environment to maximise advantage to the UK economy post Brexit