Two years after the primary Precision Breeding legislation was passed, the UK government has published the secondary legislation needed to implement it. Once this Statutory Instrument clears its Parliamentary hurdles, the path should be clear for gene editing techniques to be used in developing improved crop varieties for commercialization, with applications for the first authorizations expected in fall 2025.
On February 25, 2025, the UK government published the secondary legislation, known as the "Statutory Instrument," needed to implement the Genetic Technology (Precision Breeding) Act 2023, presenting The Genetic Technology (Precision Breeding) Regulations 2025 to Parliament. Two years have passed since the primary legislation was adopted in March 2023. The Statutory Instrument is now expected to be debated and voted on by both Houses of Parliament in the coming weeks. After its adoption, there will be a six-month delay before the regulations come into effect, which means that the first applications for authorizations for Precision Bred Organisms (PBOs) are not expected until fall 2025.
The secondary legislation will establish the legal framework for authorizing the commercialization (planting and selling) of exclusively plant-based PBOs in food or feed products in England. Accompanying the publication of the secondary legislation were draft PBO application guidance and technical guidance for applicants, as well as a consultation on a proposed Precision Bred Plant Variety List for England, which serves as a precursor to further secondary legislation.
Speaking at the National Farmers' Union conference on February 25, the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Secretary, Steve Reed, suggested that the regulations offer "huge potential to transform the plant breeding sector in England by enabling innovative products to be commercialized in years instead of decades." The legislative progress has been welcomed by a range of UK scientific institutions and universities as a significant step forward for UK research and development in this crucial new technology, facilitating the commercialization of techniques such as gene editing to develop improved crop varieties.
However, critics of gene editing, including the director of the campaign group Beyond GM, have reacted by describing the regulations as a "shoddy piece of legislation that is a fundamental breach of public trust in the UK farming and food system and a significant step backwards for consumer rights."
Source: USDA