Biotech Updates

Defra Secretary Confirms Timetable for Precision Breeding Act

January 22, 2025

Secretary Steve Reed of the United Kingdom's Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) confirmed the timetable for the Genetic Technology (Precision Breeding) Act 2023 at the Oxford Farming Conference on January 9, 2025.

In his speech during the Conference, Reed said, "I can today confirm we will introduce secondary legislation to Parliament by the end of March, unlocking new precision breeding technology that will allow farmers to grow crops that are more nutritious, resistant to pests and disease, resilient to climate change and benefit the environment."

Reed also said that precision breeding offers huge potential to transform the plant breeding sector in England, enabling innovative products to be commercialized in years instead of decades.

The Precision Breeding Act is a major step in unlocking growth and innovation in new technologies, reinforcing food security in the face of climate change, and ensuring that England becomes a world leader in agri-food innovation. England has joined Argentina, the United States, Australia, and Japan, which have already enacted similar legislation, driving innovation on a global scale and helping fight the greatest challenges facing the world.

For more details, read the speech here.


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