b'A Global Download on New Breeding Technology PoliciesRegulatory bodies are deciding what to do with NBTshow is the seed industry responding?Sonja BegemannWITH THE POTENTIALto cut breeding time inmovement of food products but seed and breeding half, gene editing and other new breeding technol- materials as well. As policies are finalized, seed industry ogies prove the sky is the limitthat is, if theyre notstakeholders will want to be aware of whats decided strangled by red tape and regulations before takeoff. around the world.It has democratized the type of crops and traitsFor large commodity crops, seed developers typi-that people want to develop, says Fan-Li Chou,cally wont launch products in Canada until they have American Seed Trade Association vice president ofall key export market approvals, says Jennifer Hubert, scientific affairs and policy. So that to me is clearly aCropLife Canada director of plant biotechnology. So, success and these tools are used in scientific discoverywe need pragmatic solutions globally that are not nec-that helps the breeding community at large. essarily identical, but aligned.Theres still uncertainty though. Because agricultureJennifer Hubert. At risk is the time it takes to get products to market, is a key component to global trade, the way each coun- higher research spending to jump through more regu-try across the globe regulates these products will havelatory hoops and consumer access to healthy food trade implications. options.Because the technology is still so newand evolv-ingpolicymakers around the world are still finalizingBright Futureregulatory process and approaches. Three key produc- While the science is still new, the potential is nearly ers and trade partners, Canada, EU and United States,endless. From crops to medicine and even in livestock, are already taking different approaches to managinggene editing could bring dramatic changes to access products created by these technologies. to food and even the precision of medicine.From a scientific perspective, the potential is limit-International Trade less right now, Chou says. Its a powerful research tool For now, there are little to no trade impacts from dif- and a powerful predictive breeding tool. So, around fering regulatory processes globally. However, as theseGarlich vonthat vein, I think theres just a lot of excitement among are finalized, that could change. Essen. the scientific and breeding community.There are no changes [to trade yet], says GarlichHubert and Chou each pointed to South American von Essen, secretary general at Euroseeds. The regula- countries, specifically Argentina, for leading the charge tory framework is not ready and we dont have [NBT]in a creating a pragmatic and risk proportionate products that are now commercially grown in any partregulator approach for this technology. While theyre of the world that would actually start entering our tradenot regulated as a GMO, the products do still have to flows. So, for now were still talking in a bit of a theoreti- meet common food safety standards and other criteria cal construct. before use.Differences in policies around the world would com- As countries in the EU look to achieve the goals of plicate international trade. This underscores the impor- the European Green Deal, it could open doors for gene tance of consistent rules and regulations across theediting technologies and other new breeding tech-globe, he continues. They will, of course, differ slightly,Fan-Li Chou. niques.but we cant have products that are considered to beThe Farm to Fork Strategy [within the Green Deal] conventional in, lets say, North and South America thatbasically says we want to become greener, so we want are considered a GMO in EU and parts of Asia. to use less fertilizers and pesticides, von Essen says. If Any differences would complicate not only theyou really want to have a significant reduction of crop 92/ SEEDWORLD.COMDECEMBER 2021'