b'AHUGE LEAP FORWARDPolicy experts are applauding the Canadian Food Inspection Agencys updated guidance on gene editing.Marc ZienkiewiczTHE CANADIAN SEED sector is celebrating May 3 as an historic day for science and agriculture, after the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) issued its updated guidance concerning the use of new breeding techniques like gene editing.According to the updated guidance, announced by Agriculture Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau, new plant varieties and products developed through gene editing will not face additional regula-tory hurdles so long as they dont contain foreign DNA and dont express a com-mercially viable herbicide tolerance trait.Its what the seed industry has waited for for the past several years as seedFrom Left: Lauren Comin of Seeds Canada, Stuart Smyth of the University of Saskatchewan, developers are eager to utilize gene edit- and Ian Affleck of CropLife Canada say the recent updated guidance on gene editing will be the ing to develop new varieties of crops. beginning of a crop development revolution for the country. Photo art: Kyle DratowanyAny time governments make science-based and evidence-based policyIan Affleck, vice-president of plant decisions, that supports Canadas innova- biotechnology for CropLife Canada, tion strategy. If were not supportingis pleased to see government continue innovation based on the science, thento use its predictable, science-based were setting ourselves up to fail. Whatapproach to plant breeding innovationIT WAS VERY VALUABLE TO US this announcement says is that all ofoversight. TO BRING THE SEED INDUSTRY these new technologies are just simplyThe regulatory system developed in an advancement of existing mutagenicCanada in the early 1990s to regulateAND THE ORGANIC SECTOR technologies, said Stuart Smyth, agri- genetically modified (GM) products food innovation expert at the Universityregulates plants with novel traits (PNTs),TOGETHER TO FIND A PATH of Saskatchewan. comparing them to conventional varie-What the Canadian Food Inspectionties. PNT varieties are approved if a riskFORWARD.Agency has said is these breeding tech- assessment concludes the risk of the PNTMarie-Claude Bibeaunologies further contribute to makingvariety is substantially equivalent to safe food products for all Canadians, andconventional crop varieties. Regulatory thats a huge leap forward. approval decisions are based on the final 4GERMINATION.CAJULY 2023'