Bill to Expedite Innovative Life Sciences Technology for Precision Breeding Progresses
A new law is progressing through Parliament, designed to enhance the UK's position with cutting edge life sciences technology opportunities for plant and animal breeding.
The Genetic Technology (Precision Breeding) Bill deals with the release and marketing of precision bred plants and animals, and the products derived from them.
The Bill passed through the House of Commons on 31 October and is now being reviewed in the House of Lords, meaning it may soon be in the final stages of becoming law in England.
The Bill provides an exciting prospect, cutting away red tape and facilitating fast-tracked development and commercialisation of organisms with advantageous characteristics. For example, this could be cattle that are less susceptible to bovine tuberculosis and foot and mouth, or crops that are less reliant on pesticides.
As opposed to Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) where additional genes are added, precision breeding instead modifies existing genes that do or could occur naturally. Currently, precision bred organisms fall in with GMOs, resulting in a high degree of regulation. The Bill moves precision bred organisms away from these requirements, whilst putting safeguards in place to help to ensure animal welfare. From their Press Release, the Government appears to be taking a phased approach, starting with precision bred plants and then expanding to animals.
Under the Bill as it currently reads, the top level process for commercialisation is as follows:
- A precision bred organism is developed in a controlled environment, so that the risk of adverse effects to and contact with people and the environment are minimised.
- Once developed, two routes are available to release the precision bred organism:
- Submitting a release notice to the Secretary of State, along with any further information required, after which the organism can be released after the prescribed period, in accordance with any terms set out; or
- by obtaining a Precision Bred Confirmation, and, if the organism is an animal, also a Precision Bred Animal Marketing Authorisation. Once obtained, this allows the organism to be made available in England.
- For both plants and animals, the relevant information will be added to the Precision Breeding Register, to be maintained by the Secretary of State, but which is likely to require ongoing input.
For animals marketed under point (b) above, the releaser has reporting obligations for the animals and their progeny, which must be shared by the parties that they have released or sold the animals to. The Bill makes provision for powers of inspection and enforcement proceedings to ensure compliance with the Bill.
The Bill also permits the Government to draft Regulations on how food and feed from precision bred organisms may be placed on the market in England, possibly requiring further marketing authorisations.
Rothamsted is a hive of activity for the Agri-Tech industry, boasting a state of the art campus and the longest running agricultural research institution in the world, Rothamsted Research. Speaking to VWV, Claire Wolstencroft, Agri-Tech Business Development Manager for Rothamsted Enterprises, shared her thoughts on the Bill:
"We are all excited at Rothamsted Campus to see this Bill progress. At Rothamsted Enterprises, our mission is to facilitate ground-breaking research, this Bill not only opens the door for more investment opportunities for all on site but will provide new tools the Agri-Tech sector needs for innovation and technologies.”