Biotech Updates

Agriculture Minister of The Netherlands Opens Door to Genetic Modification

November 7, 2018

The Minister of Agriculture of The Netherlands, Carola Schouten, opens door to genetic modification. Minister Schouten wants to use genetic modification to make agriculture in The Netherlands more sustainable. She is currently working with companies, farmers, and Wageningen University to look at the possibilities for experimenting with gene editing CRISPR-Cas method. According to reports, Minister Schouten will send a letter to the Parliament about their progress in the coming weeks.

Wageningen University and Research said that the Minister wants to experiment with CRISPR-Cas, despite the European Court of Justice ruling. Bert Lotz, a plant researcher at the university said that it is an important signal that the Minister is giving. He added that international and national research shows that it can be done carefully and that there are major sustainability successes involved.

For more details, read the NLTmes article.