Press release – Europe’s Agri-Food Chain Urges Swift Adoption of New Genomic Techniques (NGTs)
Twenty-five leading EU agri-food organizations including Plant ETP have issued a joint call to European policymakers: conclude trilogue negotiations on New Genomic Techniques (NGTs) now and avoid unnecessary burdens on operators.
After eight months of discussions, the legislative process remains stalled while Europe faces urgent challenges—climate change, emerging pests and diseases, and a shrinking toolbox for crop protection. Meanwhile, nearly 30 countries worldwide already embrace NGTs as conventional breeding methods.
NGTs offer faster innovation, more resilient crops, and resource-efficient solutions. Europe must act to secure competitiveness and strategic autonomy.
The signatories warn that additional requirements for conventional-like NGT products—such as sustainability criteria, traceability, and labelling—would erode the scientific basis of the proposal, create bureaucratic complexity, and risk trade conflicts.
“The question is simple: will the EU give breeders and farmers access to the full toolbox of advanced breeding methods, or not?” the letter states.
The organizations call on co-legislators to:
- Drop unnecessary additional requirements
- Adopt a science-based, future-oriented framework
- Ensure competitiveness, simplification, and trade facilitation
Further delay will widen the gap between the EU and global partners already leveraging NGTs for productivity and sustainability.
Read the full letter and check the signatories here