To meet the European Green Deal’s target of reaching 25% organic agriculture by 2030, researchers advocate for permitting new genomic techniques (NGTs) — such as gene editing — without requiring pre-market authorization, both in organic and conventional farming. While NGTs are currently classified as GMOs, they involve more precise and limited genetic changes. In an opinion paper published May 30 in Cell Reports Sustainability (Cell Press), the authors argue that NGTs could accelerate the development of crops that are more climate-resilient, higher yielding, and less dependent on fertilizers and pesticides.
“This is an excellent opportunity to modernize European agriculture, to make it more science based, and to support the goal of improving sustainability inside the European Union,” says first author Alexandra Molitorisová, a food law researcher at the University of Bayreuth.
Currently, organic farming accounts for 10% of agricultural land in the EU. While organic practices can reduce carbon emissions and minimize pollution from fertilizers and pesticides, Molitorisová’s team cautions that these environmental benefits could be offset by biodiversity loss. This is because organic farming typically requires more land to produce the same amount of food, potentially driving agricultural expansion into natural habitats.
“The target of 25% organic land is unlikely to ensure sustainable food production in the EU if modern biotechnology, such as NGTs, is excluded from organic farming,” says Molitorisová.
European institutions are currently debating how to regulate new genomic techniques (NGTs), which were not yet developed when the EU’s GMO legislation was enacted in 2001. The discussion follows a proposal from the European Commission to permit NGT use in conventional agriculture, but not in organic farming.
“Research suggests that NGTs are still something that European consumers are not completely aware of—they just do not distinguish between NGTs and GMOs,” says senior author Kai Purnhagen, Professor of Food Law at the University of Bayreuth. “There are strong indications that consumers would be willing to accept these technologies if they yield substantial benefits, and the Commission’s proposal for new regulation allowing NGTs in conventional farming points in this direction.”
Although NGT crops involve genetic modification, they typically do not include DNA from non-plant species. In theory, the same traits could be achieved through traditional breeding—but over decades instead of months. For this reason, the researchers argue that NGTs should be distinguished from GMOs and regulated separately, including within organic agriculture.
“From the consumer’s perception of naturalness, the normal breeding process is between two crossable varieties, and that is also what happens with NGTs,” says Molitorisová. “So, if consumers understand the nature and benefits of this technology, it should be easier for them to accept it compared with GMOs, which might involve inserting a gene from a non-plant organism into a plant genome.”
The researchers also note that the most common type of NGT, targeted mutagenesis, is very similar to mutagenesis—which uses chemical or radioactive substances to induce random genetic mutations and has never been subject to GMO regulation in the EU, even for organic farms.
“If mutagenesis had not been exempted from GMO legislation, the estimation is that 80%–90% of the cereal products on the European market would have been subject to GMO labeling,” says Purnhagen.
The team points out that permitting NGTs in conventional but not organic farming would pose significant challenges for identifying, labeling, and tracing NGT-derived products, according to a press release.
“At the moment, there are unresolved practical problems with the identification of NGTs inside of food, feed, or seeds,” says Molitorisová. “One rational alternative is to allow NGTs in organic production, because if NGT organisms are not identifiable, they are also technically unavoidable.”
Ultimately, the researchers say that the decision to allow NGTs in organic farming should be made by the organic farming and consumer communities—for example, by way of citizens’ juries or food councils.
“Organic consumers care about the environment and sustainability. For organic farmers, accepting this technology is a way to speak to those consumers,” says Purnhagen.
This research was supported by funding from the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, the Oberfrankenstiftung, the Horizon Europe DETECTIVE project, Germany’s Excellence Strategy, and the European Union H2020 program.
