EU gene-editing rules risk limiting crop innovation despite June reversal

September 15, 2026 at 03:01 PM2 min

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The European Union overturned its strict limits on gene-edited crops in June, splitting them into NGT-1 and NGT-2 categories. A plant geneticist warns that arbitrary constraints on NGT-1 edits could limit usefulness and harm public perception. The shift comes as climate change and geopolitical instability pressure local food security.

Key Facts

The European Commission's 2023 impact assessment calculated annual economic losses for EU farmers could reach €2.7 billion for cereal crops by the early 2030s.
The new EU rules split gene-edited crops into NGT-1, considered equivalent to conventionally bred plants, and NGT-2, which remains under strict GMO regulation.
NGT-1 crops face strict limits on the number of edits and DNA base pairs changed per edit, constraints the author calls arbitrary and artificial.
Conventional breeding programmes aimed at improving several traits often involve hundreds of genetic variants, far exceeding the NGT-1 edit limits.

EU Rule Change

In June, the European Union overturned its strict limits on the cultivation of gene-edited crops. Previously, all gene-edited plants were regulated as genetically modified organisms (GMOs), which sometimes incorporate DNA from other species. Gene editing using CRISPR technologies involves only small changes to an organism's DNA. The latest rules split gene-edited crops into two groups: new genomic techniques 1 (NGT-1) and NGT-2. NGT-1 crops, which can have limited alterations, are considered equivalent to plants bred through conventional means and are regulated accordingly.

Arbitrary Constraints

There are strict rules around the number of edits that NGT-1 crops can have and the number of DNA base pairs that can be changed in each edit. These constraints are arbitrary and artificial, according to the author, a plant geneticist and agronomist. Mutations arise randomly in nature, without limitations on type or number. Conventional breeding programmes aimed at improving several traits often involve hundreds of genetic variants.

Economic and Research Impact

A 2023 impact assessment by the European Commission calculated that the annual economic loss for EU farmers could be as much as €2.7 billion (US$2.3 billion) for cereal crops by the early 2030s. More-lenient rules could also help research by stopping the brain drain and loss of intellectual property that have occurred over the past decade. The shift comes as climate change and geopolitical instability are putting pressure on local food security. EU pesticide bans and regulations on fertilizer use mean there is a need to develop crop varieties with broad disease resistance and efficient nutrient use.