European Union notifies trading partners on the proposal for the regulation of plants obtained from New Genomic Techniques

Date:12-04-2023

Cibus, Inc. (NASDAQ: CBUS), a leading agricultural technology company that develops and licenses plant traits to seed companies, acknowledges the European Union notification to World Trade Organization (WTO) members on the European Commission proposal for regulation of plants obtained from New Genomic Techniques (NGTs) on 31st October. The notification is intended to ensure any potential trade barriers are avoided and invites comments from WTO members by the year end.

The proposal is a result of a European Commission study, requested by EU Member States, which concluded that EU GMO legislation was not fit for purpose in relation to applications of NGTs in plants. NGTs include a variety of gene editing techniques leading to genetic changes classed as targeted mutagenesis and cisgenesis.

The proposal, which is part of a package of EU proposals to ensure resilient and sustainable use of the EU's natural resources, describes a category of NGTs producing modifications that could be obtained in nature or by conventional breeding. These are determined to be ‘conventional-like’ and, once verified, would be regulated in the same way as conventional varieties.

The proposal was adopted by the EU College of Commissioners at their meeting on July 5, 2023, and is currently under review in committees of the European Parliament and by Ministers of Member States in the Council of the European Union.

Recent disclosures forecast that Members of the European Parliament are going to vote on the proposal during January 2024. In addition, the recent EU notification proposes an adoption date in July 2024 with additional implementing acts required to be passed within 24 months in order for the new legislation to become fully operational.

″The ambitious schedule for adoption set out in the notification highlights significant progress within EU institutions that will be welcomed by trading partners, many of whom have introduced similar regulatory policy over the past eight years,″ said Tony Moran, Senior Vice President at Cibus, Inc.