European Union
March 12, 2025

This week should mark a decisive moment for European farming as discussions advance towards the first EU regulation on New Genomic Techniques (NGTs). A clear legal framework is essential to secure investment in European seed breeding across all regions and sectors, enabling farmers to access plant varieties better adapted to climate change—offering drought resistance, pest and disease tolerance, and improved yields. Improved seeds are a crucial tool for farmers in ensuring food security.

Copa and Cogeca welcome the Polish Presidency’s commitment to moving the file forward and bringing Member States closer to a qualified majority. We support the Council Presidency’s text, which provides much-needed clarity is exempting Category 1 NGT plants from EU GMO legislation. Maintaining a harmonised approach is essential, and any opt-out clauses would undermine the single market while creating competitive imbalances. Similarly, additional mandatory traceability and labelling requirements would be unnecessary, as the existing Seed Database and national variety lists ensure sufficient transparency.

It is also crucial that the sustainability assessment remains within Plant Reproductive Material (PRM) to ensure new plant varieties deliver tangible benefits. Advancing discussions on PRM and concluding the first reading before the end of the Polish Presidency will facilitate parallel trilogues for both pieces of legislation which are interlinked.

Copa and Cogeca urge EU policymakers to ensure a science-based, pragmatic approach, allowing NGTs and PRM to contribute to more sustainable and competitive European agriculture.

Website: http://www.copa-cogeca.be

Published: March 12, 2025