// NATURE NEWS — SPAZIO & SCIENZA
CRISPR crops are coming to Europe — why bolder would be better
Nico De Storme is a professor of Plant Genetics and Crop Breeding at KU Leuven, Belgium.
Search author on:
PubMed
Google Scholar
Conventional cereals and grains could be grown alongside gene-edited crops under amended EU rules.Credit: Joe Klamar/AFP via Getty
In June, the European Union overturned its strict limits on the cultivation of gene-edited crops. The change comes in the wake of growing criticism that Europe lags behind other regions when it comes to adopting innovative plant biotechnologies.
Previously, all gene-edited plants were regulated as genetically modified organisms (GMOs), which sometimes incorporate DNA from other species and have raised public concern. But gene editing, using CRISPR technologies, for instance, involves only small changes to an organism’s DNA.
As a plant geneticist and agronomist, I think that the EU’s about-turn could be a game-changer for the region’s agriculture sector. But I worry that flaws in the new rules might limit their usefulness, and harm public perception of gene-edited crops.
The shift comes as climate change and geopolitical instability are putting pressure on local food security. EU pesticide bans and regulations on fertilizer use mean that there’s a need to develop crop varieties that have broad disease resistance and that use nutrients efficiently.
Gene editing can be used to instantly alter traits — such as tolerance to drought or heat — and produce crops that outperform conventional varieties. Restrictions on their use have hamstrung farmers. A 2023 impact assessment by the European Commission calculated that the annual economic loss for EU farmers could be as much as €2.7 billion (US$2.3 billion) for cereal crops by the early 2030s (see go.nature.com/4cymkvb). More-lenient rules could also help research, by stopping the brain drain and loss of intellectual property that have occurred over the past decade.
How CRISPR patent issues block Indian farmers from accessing biotech benefits
But the EU should address shortcomings in its ruling as it works on framing and communicating the new legislation.