European Parliament adopts new rules on plant breeding

Last week, the parliament agreed to new rules that will allow some plants bred using new genomic techniques (NGTs) to be treated within the European Union (EU) legislation like those bred using conventional methods.

Jackie Linden
June 22, 2026
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averole | Fotolia.com

Three years ago, the first proposals were put forward to allow some plants produced using NGTs to be grown and used in the EU.

At the time, all plants that were developed using any processes other than traditional breeding were regarded as genetically modified organisms (GMOs). As such, they were covered by strict rules, and required official authorization before they could be commercialized in the bloc. Several EU members have maintained strong opposition to GMOs.

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