Scientist calls for renewed debate on plant breeding technologies

A German scientist has called for renewed debate on new plant breeding technologies such as genetic engineering and gene editing because they could increase food production in a more environmentally friendly way.

The controversial technologies could increase food production to help fight global hunger, a study published this month in the journal of Applied Economic Perspectives and Policy shows, but have been subject to debate over negative environmental effects and perceived safety issues with genetically modified organisms.

"The problem is that the regulatory authorities in Europe treat plants developed using gene editing in the same way as genetically modified plants where foreign genes are introduced," Matin Qaim, an agricultural economist and professor at the University of Gottingen, said in a press release. "This fuels public fears and prevents the further development and use of the technology in agriculture."

In particular, new breeding technologies "invented a few years ago" are able to "make better use of soil nutrients" so that they don't need as much fertilizer, he said. And the new technologies can also help crops develop new traits faster to adapt to climate change.

Qaim, who evaluated 50 years of global research for the study, also said that scientific studies have classified GMOs as safe, but there has still been concern over possible health and environmental risks.

This controversy has largely centered around "the fact that GMOs contain genes introduced from other species," he added.

However, Qaim said that unlike GMOs, which are especially controversial in Europe, gene-editing doesn't usually rely on transfer of foreign genes.

"Unfortunately, the European attitude has far-reaching implications for many poor countries, especially in Africa, where new agricultural technologies are particularly important for small farms," Qaim said. "We urgently need a different and more evidence-based public disclosure about new breeding technologies, because they can make an important contribution to sustainable agriculture and food security."

"The low public acceptance has led to high regulatory hurdles that are not scientifically justified and seriously slow down the development of the technology," he added.