Brussels, Belgium
January 13, 2025
Recent months have seen significant progress in the regulation of gene-editing technologies worldwide. Here is a top 5 selection:
EU’s proposal on NGTs was adopted by the EU Parliament: In February 2024, the European Parliament voted in favor of the European Commission’s proposal on New Genomic Techniques, making a significant step towards modernizing agricultural biotechnology regulations in Europe.
Ghana established gene-editing regulatory guidelines: Ghana has recently established regulatory guidelines for genome editing. In November 2023, the National Biosafety Authority (NBA) published comprehensive guidelines on genome editing. This development positions Ghana as the fourth African nation, following Nigeria, Kenya, and Malawi, to implement such guidelines.
Thailand released a regulation on gene-editing: In July 2024, Thailand’s Minister of Agriculture and Cooperatives signed the “Certification of Organisms Developed from Genome Editing Technology for Agricultural Use, B.E. 2567 (2024).” The legislation supports an initiative aimed at increasing Thai farmers’ incomes within four years, facilitating the safe development and commercial use of genome-edited plants, animals, and microorganisms in agriculture.
New Zealand started regulatory plans for gene-editing technologies: In August 2024, New Zealand announced plans to introduce legislation simplifying the development and commercialization of gene technologies, including gene editing. The proposed law aims to exempt low-risk gene editing techniques, which produce changes indistinguishable from conventional breeding, from regulation. The government intends to have the legislation passed and the regulator operational by the end of 2025.
A number of regulatory decisions to treat gene-editing plants like conventional plants increases significantly: the adoption of plant NBTs is advancing globally, driven by their potential to address issues of food security, sustainability, and climate resilience. By the end of 2024, almost 300 regulatory decisions that confirmed the conventional status of NGT plants were taken globally with the US and Argentina being the leading countries.
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