UK pushes for precision breeding to boost food security

By Clement Dionglay

On March 23, 2023, the UK's Genetic Technology (Precision Breeding) Bill received Royal Assent and became an Act of Parliament and law. The Act is a major step in unlocking growth and innovation in new breeding technologies, ensuring that England becomes a world leader in agri-food innovation while reinforcing food security and sustainability.

Under the Precision Breeding Act, a new science-based and streamlined regulatory system will be introduced to facilitate greater research and innovation in precision breeding while maintaining stricter regulations for genetically modified organisms (GMOs). The government will take a step-by-step approach and enable precision breeding technologies for plants first, followed by animals later.

In January 2025, Secretary Steve Reed of the UK's Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) confirmed the timetable for the Precision Breeding Act 2023 at the Oxford Farming Conference, confirming that a secondary legislation will be presented to the Parliament by the end of March 2025. This legislation will provide detailed rules for implementing the Precision Breeding Act, particularly for plants.

Benefits of the Precision Breeding Act

The Act aims to promote agricultural innovation in England by developing crops and livestock with improved traits such as disease resistance, climate resilience, and higher nutritional value. This is geared towards increased food production, reduced pesticide use, and enhanced food security while minimizing environmental impact, allowing for faster and more targeted genetic modifications compared to traditional breeding methods. Additional benefits include boosting investment into the sector while reducing production costs for farmers.

The key benefits of the Act include:

• Boosting crop yields: Development of crops that are resistant to pests and diseases will help farmers produce more food with less input. 

• Climate change adaptation: Creation of crops that are better suited to extreme weather conditions such as drought, and flooding.

• Reduced pesticide use: Developing crops with inherent resistance to pests to minimize the need for chemical pesticides. 

• Enhanced nutrition: Producing crops with higher levels of essential nutrients. 

• Improved animal welfare: Potential to develop livestock with traits that improve their well-being. 

Public perception

While proponents see significant potential in the benefits from the Act, some concerns remain regarding the acceptance of gene editing technologies by consumers. Similar to other countries, the public perception of precision breeding in the UK is a complex issue, marked by a mixture of potential acceptance and significant concerns. A significant portion of people show cautious optimism about the potential benefits of precision breeding technology, particularly in terms of food security and environmental impact. However, there is also considerable concern about the potential risks and a lack of understanding about the technology. Precision breeding is often associated with traditional GMOs and most consumers believe that it is equally important to be informed about whether a food product has been precision-bred and want clear labeling to make informed choices. 

In March 2023, Ipsos UK, the UK Food Standards Agency, and Food Standards Scotland conducted a survey to measure consumer behavior and perception of precision breeding. There was very low awareness of precision breeding among the respondents and very few had ever heard of precision breeding. After learning about precision breeding, 50% of the survey respondents said that precision-bred food products should be available for sale in the UK in the future.

UK Moves Forward with Field Trials of Gene-Edited Crops

In August 2024, it was announced that the field trials of gene-edited wheat and barley will be conducted in up to 25 farms in the UK. The gene-edited crops developed at Rothamsted Research are included in the farm-based field trials. One is a line of barley that has been edited to produce a higher content of lipids in the leaves, and the other crop is a wheat variety that has been gene-edited to lower the levels of amino acid asparagine in the grain when cooked.

The trials, also called PROBITY (Platform to Rate Organisms Bred for Improved Traits and Yield), are being organized by the British on-Farm Innovation Network (BOFIN) along with partner organizations including  Rothamsted Research, the John Innes Centre, the University of Nottingham, and Aberystwyth University.

In February 2025, the UK’s Advisory Committee on Releases to the Environment (ACRE) approved the field trial of wheat with improved yields and stress tolerance using CHLORAD technology. The ACRE Advice to the Secretary of State under section 124 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 said that it is satisfied that all appropriate measures have been taken to avoid adverse effects on human health and the environment from the proposed release. Nine gene-edited plant lines will be included in the field trials, eight of which still retain the transgenic construct that was transformed into the plants to perform gene editing.

The UK’s push for precision breeding will unlock a range of benefits to farmers and consumers, especially in agriculture and food security. It is seen as an important tool to address the challenges in food production such as climate change and increased population growth. As the secondary legislation for the Precision Breeding Act 2023 awaits presentation to the Parliament this month, several key points still need to be addressed, including low awareness of the technology, concerns on the technology’s safety, transparency, and clear communication.