Dual-track EU system proposed for genome-edited crops

Commission recommends exemption for some genome-edited crops from GMO labelling and risk assessment

The European Commission has proposed the creation of a dual-track system for approving genome-edited crops in the EU, providing crops that could occur naturally with exemptions from decades-old legislation for genetically modified organisms.

Research has found that some new genomic techniques, or NGTs, can produce crops that are indistinguishable from the products of natural breeding and traditional agriculture methods while potentially having beneficial traits such as resistance to drought and pests.