Following the news that Parliament has approved the secondary legislation to implement the Genetic Technology (Precision Breeding) Act for plants in England, many in the scientific community are celebrating the new opportunities it presents.
The Genetic Technology (Precision Breeding) Regulations 2025 were officially signed into law this week by Daniel Zeichner MP, Minister of State at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra).
Full implementation of the regulations is expected in autumn 2025. Introduced as secondary legislation in February, the regulations are designed to bring the Genetic Technology (Precision Breeding) Act — passed in March 2023 — into full effect.
The Act and its enabling regulations aim to support the responsible use of precision breeding technologies in agriculture by creating a more streamlined regulatory framework for gene-edited crops in England.
UK consumers could begin seeing gene-edited (GE) products on supermarket shelves as early as late 2026.
The Government has championed precision breeding for its potential to boost food production, lower costs for farmers, and foster crops that are more nutritious, resilient to climate change, and resistant to pests and disease. The technology is also expected to contribute to more environmentally sustainable farming practices, according to Rothamsted Research.
The Genetic Technology (Precision Breeding) Regulations 2025 were also debated in the House of Lords on 6 May 2025. The discussion centred on the regulations’ potential implications for food security, British agriculture, and environmental sustainability. A proposed “Motion of Regret” was ultimately withdrawn following strong support from expert Peers for the secondary legislation.
To bring the Genetic Technology (Precision Breeding) Act into full effect, secondary legislation was developed by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) in collaboration with the Food Standards Agency (FSA). These statutory instruments were notified to the World Trade Organization in April 2024 and received parliamentary scrutiny and approval in March 2025.
Although the Act applies to both plants and animals, current implementation efforts are limited to plants. The government has delayed the extension of precision breeding to animals, citing the need for additional scientific evidence and consultation with stakeholders to ensure robust animal welfare protections are in place.
This legislation paves the way for advancements in plant and microbial science, with significant potential to improve the health of plants, people, and the planet.
“It does feel like an historic moment to me, and I expect everyone who has been working on plant biotech while the UK/EU has been marginalised will feel the same,” Professor Nigel Halford, who leads research at Rothamsted on GE wheat said. “It is tremendously exciting and I applaud everyone who has worked hard to get the legislation over the line. Most importantly it is a win for science and common sense.”
According to a press release from the John Innes Centre, the absence of this essential legislation would have posed significant barriers to the marketability and sale of gene-edited innovations, such as their fortified tomatoes, in England.
Researchers from John Innes Centre have already demonstrated the power of precision breeding by developing tomatoes enriched with vitamin D. This was achieved through gene editing, which enhanced a natural pathway to increase the accumulation of provitamin D3. With the passing of this secondary legislation, innovations like these could play a critical role in addressing vitamin D deficiency — a condition increasingly associated with elevated risks of cancer, dementia, and other major health concerns.
“Precision breeding offers England a unique opportunity to lead the way in sustainable food production,” Dr Penny Hundleby, Research Partnerships and HP3 Hub Lead at the John Innes Centre, said. “Alongside our partners on the Norwich Research Park, we are fast becoming an epicentre of precision breeding. We are focussed on working together and collaborating with partners and investors to improve the sustainability and quality of food and farming for the future.
“The passing of this forward-thinking legislation means that this science will be able to benefit the health of people, plants, and the planet. The use of precision breeding technologies in research will expand our understanding of plant genetics and strengthen the entire agricultural science ecosystem, reinforcing the country’s leadership in agricultural innovation.”
This new secondary legislation aligns England’s regulatory approach with that of many countries outside the EU, including Canada, Australia, Brazil, Argentina, the U.S., and Japan.
What is Precision Breeding?
- Precision breeding is a generic term used in the legislation for a raft of genetic technologies that allow breeders to make precise, targeted changes to the genetic code (DNA) of plants. It can be used to introduce beneficial new traits such as resistance to pests and diseases, improved nutritional value and climate resilience.
- Precision breeding, as defined in the legislation, results in a plant that could have been generated through traditional breeding or natural processes.
- Precision breeding is usually much faster and more precise than traditional breeding techniques, which can take decades to achieve the same results.
