The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has confirmed that Category 1 NGT plants present no additional hazards compared to those produced through conventional breeding. Euroseeds welcomed the findings, calling discriminatory regulations for NGT-derived plants unjustified and contrary to scientific evidence.
In a report presented to the EU Parliament’s Envi Committee, EFSA concluded that genetic modifications in NGT plants align with those found in conventionally bred plants, justifying their equivalence. The report aligns with previous assessments from EFSA and other European bodies, according to a press release on the Euroseeds website.
“The European seed sector welcomes EFSA’s scientific assessment,” said Petra Jorasch, Euroseeds’ Manager for Plant Breeding Innovation Advocacy.
“This new EFSA report as well as all the other reports and respective scientific literature should be taken up quickly by our policy makers to finally adopt evidence-based regulations for conventional-like NGT plants. Any GMO-like approach would unfairly discriminate against these safe innovations and hold Europe’s scientists, breeders and farmers in a competitive disadvantage.”
