Euroviews. In farming, genomic techniques can't afford a repeat of disastrous GMO rejection

Nearly three dozen Nobel laureates have joined more than 1,000 scientists in urging members of the European Parliament to embrace science-based gene editing technology.

New genomic techniques (NGTs), they write in a petition, “hold immense promise for sustainable agriculture, enhanced food security, and innovative medical solutions.”

As farmers who worry about the future of food production in an era of climate change, we join this distinguished group in asking the policymakers of the EU to open their minds to the amazing potential of this technology.

On the surface, we don’t share much in common: One of us grows corn in Nigeria, and the other runs an organic vineyard and olive grove in Italy. We live in different places, serve different customers, and face different challenges.

Yet we’re united in our belief that NGTs present a tremendous opportunity to farmers in Africa, Europe, and everywhere as we strive to grow more food in a more sustainable way.

The EU’s proposal of regulation on NGTs, as much as it is a welcomed step forward into understanding and accepting the great benefits that agriculture and civil society could both obtain thanks to the introduction of NGT technology in plant breeding, is a confusing mess with some grey areas that might undermine the efficiency of the new regulation. 

While many European farmers, stakeholders, and NGOs are attracted to this important innovation and recognize its enormous upside, others remain sceptical.

The stakes are huge. In a global market, the failure to introduce NGTs in Europe will hurt not only European farmers who strive to do more with less and improve their commitment to sustainability but also inadvertently impact African farmers who depend on trade with Europe.

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