Legislation allowing cultivation of gene-edited crops now in force

The development and implementation of this new legislation took five years and is intended to replace restrictive rules inherited from the EU.  

The All-Party Parliamentary Group on Science and Technology in Agriculture (APPGSTA) chairman George Freeman MP said that the implementation of the Precision Breeding Act marks an “important step” in ensuring that farmers, consumers and the environment can benefit from advances in gene editing and other precision breeding techniques.  

“From today we expect applications to come forward which will offer the potential to increase yields, reduce chemical inputs, enhance disease resistance, cut food waste and improve nutritional quality across a range of different crops.” 

Niab explained that the new law provides a more proportionate and science-based regulatory framework for scientists, plant breeders and farmers to use precision breeding techniques such as gene editing to improve productivity, climate resilience and sustainability. 

Precision breeding techniques allow targeted, precise changes to be made within a plant’s own DNA – changes that could have occurred naturally or through conventional breeding but which can now be achieved faster and more accurately. 

Mr Freeman added the new legislation puts England ahead of the rest of Europe and aligns our rules with other innovation leaders, including Australia, Japan, Canada, Brazil, Argentina and the USA. 

‘Enabling rather than restricting’

Professor Mario Caccamo, Niab chief executive, described the Act’s implementation as a “historic milestone”.  

“This is the first time in a generation that legislation has been brought forward which seeks to enable, rather than restrict, the use of advanced genetic technologies in UK agriculture. It will help accelerate the development of improved crop varieties with potential benefits for farmers, consumers and the environment.” 

He added that potential early applications include higher-yielding strawberries with longer shelf life, nutritionally enhanced tomatoes and oilseeds, disease-resistant sugar beet and potatoes, tomatoes bred for robotic harvesting, higher-yielding wheat and baby potatoes, non-browning bananas and high-lipid barley designed to cut methane emissions in livestock. 

“These innovations are already in the pipeline. They show how precision breeding can help us produce healthier food with fewer inputs while reducing food waste, tackling climate change and strengthening food security,” the expert continued. 

Professor Caccamo noted that the implementation of the Act – despite a change of government from Conservative to Labour in 2024 – signals strong, cross-party political support for these new technologies. 

He also pointed to a global Ipsos survey released earlier this year which found that 56% of the consuming public support the use of new genomic techniques in agriculture, particularly to develop more climate-resilient crops — with only 12% opposed. 

“Public and political opinion is shifting decisively in favour of science-based solutions to global challenges such as food security and climate change. This is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to transform the way we develop and grow crops in Britain.  

“With the Precision Breeding Act now in force, we have the chance to lead the world in sustainable, science-based farming. Let us seize that opportunity with both hands,” Professor Caccamo concluded. 

‘Landmark step’

Rothamsted Research called the implementation of the Act a “landmark step” that will help UK farmers produce more resilient, sustainable crops while supporting food security and environmental goals.  

The researchers explained that the legislation allows precision-bred crops – developed through targeted genetic changes equivalent to natural breeding – to move from research into commercial farming.  

The change will speed up access to improved plant varieties, helping to reduce yield losses from drought, pests and disease, and cut reliance on fertilisers and pesticides, they added.   

Professor Patrick Bailey, interim CEO of Rothamsted, said: “Innovation has been the beating heart of Rothamsted for over 180 years, and this new legislation will help pump new technologies into the UK’s agricultural R&D sector. We are excited by the opportunities it will bring.’  

‘Transformative role in tackling major disease threats’

APPGSTA cautioned that the legislation must not be compromised in the context of forthcoming UK–EU realignment discussions and any future cross-border Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) agreement.  

Mr Freeman explained: “To secure future innovation and investment, the government must protect the independence of our science-based regulatory framework. The UK must retain the freedom to pursue policies that promote food security, sustainability and innovation in our own agri-food system.”  

While welcoming progress for plants, the All-Party Group also urged ministers to activate the Act’s farmed animal provisions without delay, noting that precision breeding advances could play a transformative role in tackling major disease threats in livestock, reducing the need for antibiotics and improving animal health, welfare and environmental outcomes.  

Recent warnings from scientists at the UK’s Pirbright Institute that this season’s bird flu strain could be the most contagious yet, alongside concerns previously raised by leading virologists that the virus could mutate towards a zoonotic pandemic in the human population, underline the urgency, Mr Freeman added. 

The group has also called for a ‘30:50:50 mission’ – to increase UK farm output by 30% by 2050 while cutting the environmental footprint of agriculture by 50%. 

Its members said that there is an “urgent need” for radical policy reform across the entire agri-innovation ecosystem, from farming and land use policy to research funding, regulation, skills and farm data. 

“The Precision Breeding Act offers a blueprint for UK leadership in science-based, sustainable agriculture. 

“If we now apply the same enabling, evidence-led approach across the wider food and farming system, the UK can establish itself as a global testbed for agri-innovation – helping to deliver a secure food supply, stronger rural economies and genuine environmental gains,” Mr Freeman concluded. 

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