b'Lets be frank, there are numerous visions in the EU as tomiss out on benefits and ultimately will be left behind. More how far we can and should go to use innovation in agriculture.importantly, the scientific facts speak for themselves. We know Innovative breeding techniques are one example, supportingthat these new breeding techniques can help us tackle key chal-positive progress. They attract particular interest for theirlenges such as food security and food intolerances. The potential potential to introduce useful targeted traits in plants withoutseems endless, from improved agronomical characteristics to introducing foreign genes.resistance to herbicides. Lets take the example of low-gluten, The most prominent and rapidly evolving techniquesnon-transgenic wheatwhich could be used to produce low-glu-include targeted mutagenesis, also referred to as gene editingten food materials - recently developed through gene editing techniques. They show great potential for a broad range of appli- by researchers from Spain and the US. Or potatoes developed cations in the agri-food sector (e.g. to improve drought tolerancewith a non-browning trait and producing less asparagine: these and fatty acid composition in soybean, disease resistance andproducts shall not scare since they provide the potential for the reduced browning in potatoes, improved growth and feed con- formation of acrylamide to be reduced by 60-70% when potatoes version in fish). They can also be valuably applied in the healthare baked, fried or roasted at high temperatures.sector (in gene therapy and for studies of disease mechanisms). These techniques also allow us to progress much fasterdevel-oping new breeds in just in two or three years compared to clas-sical techniques which might take over 10 years.Innovation plays an essential The new GMOs?Debate on new breeding techniques is intense. Sometimesrole in plant breeding and the dubbed by their opponents as the new GMOs who raise con- EU should be a leader in this cerns over their safety or simply reject their use in European agriculture for various reasons including ethical issues, otherarea, promoting innovation while stakeholders nevertheless point out the advantages and benefitsensuring a high level of safety.offered by these techniques.A legal input took place last year, when a ruling of the Court of Justice of the EU in July 2018 stated that current legislation on the deliberate release of GMOs applies to organisms obtained by new mutagenesis techniques. Since then, the CommissionI am a medical doctor; it is evident to me that research and services have been discussing the implementation of the courtinnovation can bring important benefits to society. Science must ruling with Member States experts. The Commission hasbe central when it comes to assessing the risks and benefits for engaged in a dialogue with the Member States on this impor- humans, animal health and the environment. The Commission tant file: they were asked to submit information on challengeshas recently mandated the European Food Safety Authority to and solutions to implement and enforce the GMO legislation asassess whether current guidance for risk assessment is adequate the court has interpreted it. Though numerous meetings haveto evaluate products of certain new mutagenesis techniques.already taken place at technical level, at this stage, only theAt the same time, we also need to take a broader perspec-Netherlands have, so far, adopted a formal government position,tive and engage in dialogue with all sectors of our society; we calling for a debate on the future of EU biotechnology policy andneed to listen to those who express concerns and often worries the need to adapt it to technical and scientific progress.about these scientific developments. The topic is important and Still in 2018, the Group of Chief Scientific Advisorswhichof general interest and we have to address public concerns, espe-provides independent advice to the European Commission cially regarding ethical values. In the coming months, additional issued a statement in the October following the court ruling. Itscientific work and opinions are expected from EFSA and the said that new scientific knowledge and technical developmentsEuropean Group on Ethics in Science and New Technologies mean that existing GMO legislation is no longer fit for purpose(EGE). The latter provides the Commission with high quality, and requires revision. It urges a more inclusive discussion onindependent advice on ethical aspects of science and new tech-how we want our food produced in the EU.nologies in relation to EU legislation or policies. On the new The debate has also engaged the scientific communitybreeding techniques, the European Commission has requested extensively. Many scientists believe that products obtainedthis group assess certain aspects of gene editing, in particular, through new breeding techniques should not be subject to thehow it is applied to animals and in the context of biodiversity legislation governing GMOs, stressing in particular that EU farm- and ecosystems, notably organisms engineered with gene drives.ers and breeders will not benefit from scientific progress andThese initiatives aim to collect expert views on the matter improved varieties.and put the issue in as complete and objective a context as It is now a well-known fact that I have been defending apossible. strong position on this debate in recent months. Speaking at aThis debate will probably continue for years and rightly so Citizens Dialogue last autumn in Italy, I made it clear that webecause science will evolve, and we will have to face new chal-need to invest money, time and resources in new agriculturallenges. What seems important to me is that we continue talking, technologies. Europe simply cannot afford to give up and stayin full transparency, without locking ourselves in a biased view on the side while our main competitors will not! Unsurprisingly,and stay open to each others opinions and concerns. This way some of the biggest producers of GM products (the United States,we can move forward.Canada, Brazil, Argentina) already acknowledge the role that these new techniques could play in addressing challenges inEditors Note: Vytenis Andriukaitis is EU Commissioner for agricultural production. If the EU stays immobile, we mightHealth and Food Safety12IEUROPEAN SEEDIEUROPEAN-SEED.COM'