Gene editing should be allowed in organic crop cultivation to boost yields and promote more sustainable farming practices, according to an international research team led by scientists at the University of Bayreuth. In a recent article published in Cell Reports Sustainability, the team advocates for updating organic farming standards to permit the use of this technology.
“One major advantage of using genetic editing is the ability to make extremely precise changes to individual genes—faster and more effectively than traditional breeding methods, which often require many generations before a desirable trait becomes established. If organic agriculture is to play a key role in EU agricultural policy, we must also consider innovative approaches,” says Alexandra Molitorisová, doctoral researcher at the Chair of Food Law at the University of Bayreuth and lead author of the study.
The EU strongly supports organic farming across its policy landscape. However, the lower yields often associated with organic agriculture pose a sustainability challenge, as producing the same amount of food requires more land and resources. New genomic techniques (NGTs), such as the CRISPR-Cas9 “genetic scissors,” could help address this issue by increasing crop yields. These tools allow for precise DNA modifications, enabling the development of plants with improved resistance to drought, pests, or disease — traits especially important in organic systems where chemical crop protection is largely prohibited. Despite their potential, NGTs are currently banned in EU organic farming.
A recent European Commission legislative proposal suggests a shift in how NGT crops are regulated. Some gene-edited plants (NGT-1) could be treated like conventionally bred varieties, while others (NGT-2) would face eased restrictions. However, the proposal still excludes NGTs from organic agriculture, citing their perceived incompatibility with current organic definitions and consumer expectations.
A team of researchers led by Prof. Dr. Kai Purnhagen, Chair of Food Law at the University of Bayreuth, argues this position should be reconsidered, according to a press release. They propose a dual-standard approach: one EU-wide organic label for “organic without NGTs” and another for “organic with NGTs.” This system would preserve transparency and consumer choice while enabling organic farming to benefit from targeted innovation. The researchers note that NGTs can help achieve traits aligned with organic principles, such as enhancing genetic diversity in crop breeding. By creating new gene variants where gene functions are well understood, NGTs could expand the breeding toolkit available for sustainable organic production.
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 citizen’s 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,” adds Purnhagen.
