China released new rules on field trials of gene-edited plants, paving the way for faster improvement of crops for food security.
The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs published the new guidelines on January 25, 2022. This announcement is part of the country’s goal to overhaul the seed industry. Beijing also passed new guidelines to clear the path for GM crop approvals and is expected to promote gene-edited crops soon.
The draft gene editing guidelines indicate that once the gene-edited plants have completed the pilot trials, a production certificate can be applied for, removing the need for lengthy field trials applied for GM plants.
“Given the strong investment of the Chinese government in genome editing, we expect the release of a relatively open policy in the coming years,” said Rabobank in their recent report.
Read more information from Channel News Asia and the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs.
