In response to mounting food security concerns prompted by climate change, war and geopolitical instability, Europe and the rest of the world are moving rapidly to embrace gene editing technologies in agriculture. As a renowned leader in agricultural science, Scotland now risks becoming increasingly isolated in research terms, and less attractive to prospective inward R&D investment, if the Scottish Government maintains its current opposition to these technologies. Scotland's farmers, too, may be disadvantaged without access to the same innovations as producers elsewhere, with key crops such as strawberries and potatoes likely to be among the first gene edited products to come forward, offering sustainability and yield improvements. To prevent Scotland being left behind, ScotGov must act now to bring its rules into line with an increasing number of countries which have already adopted more enabling regulation of new genetic technologies, or are in the process of doing so, warns Finlay Carson MSP, convenor of the Scottish Parliament's Rural Affairs and Islands Committee.

 

In the face of growing climate pressures and heightened geopolitical uncertainty, a number of countries previously cautious in their attitude to innovations such as gene editing in agriculture are now moving to embrace them to bolster their food security and reduce their climate impact.

 

Among them are the 27 member states of the European Union, reportedly close to reaching agreement on the way forward for previously stalled proposals on the regulation of New Genomic Techniques (NGTs). 

 

Seasoned Brussels commentators have privately admitted to me that they are surprised at the rapid progress made on the NGT dossier under the Polish presidency of the EU, with the prospect of a Council accord expected within weeks, leading to tripartite negotiations with the European Parliament and Commission.   

 

But a clue may lie in the EU Commission’s recent Vision for Agriculture and Food communication, which effectively cancelled the bloc’s production-limiting Green Deal commitments under the Farm to Fork Strategy, instead underlining the heightened risks of the EU-27 taking its food security for granted in the context of war in Ukraine and following recent drought-hit harvests in southern Europe.

 

In relation to NGTs, the communication emphasises that such plant breeding innovations will be key to safeguarding the EU’s food sovereignty, by “accelerating the development of climate-change resilient, resource-saving, nutritious and high-yielding varieties.”    

 

It also highlights the importance of the EU moving at pace to align its rules on NGTs with other countries around the world:

 

“To reap the benefits of these innovations, an enabling regulatory framework in the EU is needed. This also ensures a level playing-field with an increasing number of third countries, which are in the process of adapting their legislation or have done so already. It is therefore particularly important to complete the legislative procedure for the Commission’s NGT proposal and to implement the legislation fast. The Commission is committed to working in close cooperation with the Council and the European Parliament to find a forward-looking compromise in the near future.”

 

This growing list of third countries includes Argentina, Brazil, Japan, Australia, Canada, Chile and the USA.

 

They are soon expected to be joined by New Zealand, which has historically shunned the use of biotechnology in agriculture, but whose coalition government recently introduced a new Gene Technology Bill which, according to Science Minister Judith Collins, will end New Zealand's “nearly 30-year ban on gene technology outside the lab in a move which will bring health, productivity and climate gains for New Zealanders".

 

Of course, vocal opponents of the new legislation warn that it will damage the clean, green reputation of New Zealand’s food and farming sectors.

 

But those objections were confronted in straight-talking Kiwi fashion by Professor Andrew Allan, principal scientist at Plant and Food Research, New Zealand’s national agricultural research body, who said New Zealand’s farming industry would be “buggered” without access to new genetic technologies.

 

He told Radio New Zealand that gene editing technologies could achieve in five to ten years what a selective breeding programme would take 60 years to do.

 

“Thanks to the impacts of climate change, the industry can't wait 60 years. Climate change will have buggered us by then. [With the planet's temperature projected to increase by two degrees Celsius by 2050], we'll be in so much trouble if we don't move. There's some urgency here," he said.

 

The Westminster Parliament is also shortly expected to sign off on the secondary legislation needed to activate the Genetic Technology (Precision Breeding) Act 2023 for plants in England, likely to come into force from the autumn.

 

So, with all these developments taking place, has the Scottish Government shifted its position?

 

Not one jot.

 

Despite Scottish Ministers opting out of the UK Government’s Precision Breeding Act, indicating that they prefer to remain aligned with the EU on the gene editing issue, there is no sign of a change in ScotGov’s mood or narrative to reflect the policy shifts happening in Brussels.

 

This is potentially very damaging to prospects for Scotland’s world-leading agricultural science base, and for the competitiveness of our farming industry.

 

Take research trials for example. Since simplified arrangements for outdoor trials of precision bred crops were introduced in England in March 2022, no fewer than 25 separate trials have been notified, across a range of crops, traits and potential benefits. Here are a few examples.

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It is difficult to square with ScotGov’s insistence that embracing these technologies would put the clean, green image of Scottish food and farming at risk when virtually all applications of gene editing described here relate to more sustainable farming systems or healthier eating. 

 

The research trials notified in England are similar in number to the gene edited crop trials notified across the entire EU-27 over the same period, which also cover a range of crop species including grapes, rice, barley, maize, tomato and potato.

 

And the number of research trials notified in Scotland over the same period?

 

Zero.

 

In research terms, Scotland risks becoming increasingly isolated, and less attractive to prospective inward R&D investment, if the Government maintains its current opposition to these technologies.  

 

Our farmers, too, may become increasingly uncompetitive without access to the same technologies as producers elsewhere.

 

Last month, the UK Government issued a public consultation on the establishment of an England-only approach to registering new precision bred crop varieties. This is a process known as National Listing.

 

An England-only approach to National Listing is needed because the current legislation is UK-wide in scope.

 

But this should be ringing alarm bells in Scotland.

 

The prospect of an England-only National List could effectively side-line Scottish farming interests in future plant breeding programmes, leaving our growers reliant on older varieties which will increasingly become outdated and outclassed.

 

Indeed, entire markets could be at risk.

 

One of the first precision bred crops expected to be introduced to the English market is a long shelf-life, market leading strawberry which has been gene edited to fruit for longer, significantly increasing berry yield per plant, extending the growing season, and reducing food waste.

 

When Scottish growers account for around a quarter of the UK strawberry area, can we afford to miss out on innovations like this?

 

Potatoes are also an early target for gene editing, with applications ranging from non-browning and disease resistance traits which can help reduce chemical sprays and spoilage, to land-saving applications such as a more compact tuber set in small potatoes to increase harvestable yield.  

 

Scotland is renowned for its seed potatoes, but seed production for gene edited potatoes will need to switch elsewhere if Scotland remains locked out of the technology. That could mean losing market share to northern England, and possibly not only for precision bred varieties.

 

Europe and the rest of the world are moving rapidly to embrace gene editing technologies in agriculture, in response to mounting food security concerns prompted by climate change, war and geopolitical instability.

 

ScotGov must act now to prevent Scotland being left behind.

 

Finlay Carson has been Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) for Galloway and West Dumfries since 2016. He is Convener of the Scottish Parliament’s Rural Affairs and Islands Committee.