b'FEAR MISINFORMATION AND HINDER PROGRESSCONTINUE TOANOTHER ACT OF VANDALISM AGAINST NGT PLANTS.BY: MARCEL BRUINSO nly a few months have passed since, in early October 2024, the first European vineyard with downy mildew-resistant plants, obtained using new genomic techniques (NGTs), was inaugurated in San Floriano in Valpolicella, Italy. The country had celebrated this step forward in viticulture research, thanks to the work of the University of Verona team, through its spin-off Edivite. However, all progress has been undone. On the night between 12 and 13 February 2025, unknown perpetrators vandalized and damaged the five seedlings planted by technicians coordinated by Professor Mario Pezzotti (Department of Biotechnology). The aim of the initiative was to test in the open field the resistance to one of the main vine pathogens, downy mildew, a primary cause of the Italian production drop in the 2023 grape harvest, with effects anticipated in 2024.STRONG CONDEMNATIONThe Italian seed association, Assosementi, has strongly condemned the recent act of vandalism that resulted in the destruction of the San Floriano experimental vineyard. This site was a crucial research facility where scientists from the University of Verona were conduct-ing field trials on grapevines developed using new genomic tech-niques (NGTs). The attack has not only damaged years of scientific research but also represents a significant setback for agricultural innovation in Italy.NOT THE FIRST TIMEThe event in San Floriano comes just a few months after the destruc-tion, in Mezzana Bigli in the province of Pavia, of an experimental field of genetically improved rice, also developed through NGTs. It is important to emphasize that these techniques are fundamentally different from GMOs, as they do not involve inserting foreign genes but rather precise modifications to existing DNA sequences.This act of vandalism is an attack on the scientific community and the entire Italian agri-food sector, which has been advocat-ing for access to innovation, says Eugenio Tassinari, President of Assosementi. The destruction of this vineyard erases 10 years of dedicated research aimed at improving viticulture through advanced breeding techniques. It is unacceptable that fear and misinformation continue to hinder progress.ITALY AT THE FOREFRONTItaly is at the forefront in Europe regarding NGT research, and the response from institutions and trade associations has been unan-imous in condemning this attack. The Minister of Agriculture, Francesco Lollobrigida, described the vandalism as an attack that damages the entire agricultural world and expressed solidarity with the researchers, emphasizing that if anyone fears innova-tion, we will continue along this path. Confagricoltura (General Confederation of Italian Agriculture), which had celebrated the planting of resistant Chardonnay vines in September, decried the act as another affront to research, stating, Plant genetics is a safe 30ISEED WORLD EUROPEISEEDWORLD.COM/EUROPE | MAY 2025'