The National Council and the Council of States open the door to modern genetic engineering methods in agriculture. But just a crack and too deliberate.
Fruit trees are susceptible to pests. Genome-edited plants could be more resistant, reducing pesticide use.
Resistance to the use of modern genetic engineering methods in agriculture is crumbling. With some consumers, wholesalers, farmers and now also in the Swiss Parliament. On Tuesday, after the National Council, the Council of States also commissioned the Federal Council to enable the cultivation of so-called genome-edited plants by 2024.
This could be the beginning of a turnaround. And thus a courageous step away from the old defensive reflex “no genetic engineering on the field” towards the use of scientific knowledge in agriculture. The decision is therefore a success for science, which has now apparently found a hearing.
A revolution has taken place in genetic engineering in recent years. Nowadays, a plant can be modified very precisely at just a few points in its genome by means of genome editing. With the help of classical genetic engineering, on the other hand, entire genes, often from foreign organisms, were often incorporated.
Genome editing is more precise than conventional breeding
The minimal changes caused by genome editing are usually no longer detectable in the plant parts. They are no different from the genetic changes that UV light from the sun’s rays inflicts on the plants in the field.
And conventional breeding also changes the genome of a plant. Even much more extensive and imprecise. From a biological point of view, there is no reason why a genome-edited plant has to be labeled as a genetically modified organism (GMO) and cultivation is prohibited. With this, the legislator punishes the product because of its manufacturing process. As long as genome-edited plants are subject to strict GMO regulations, there will be hardly any intensive research and certainly no use in this country.
Not only is genome editing gentler and more accurate, it also saves time when it comes to breeding plants with new traits. In view of climate change, we need speed. We must now begin to develop and test crops that tolerate drought, heavy rain, mold and saline soils.
Yes, we don’t know if genome editing research will be able to produce the plants that are needed. But we will only know that when we test such plants. In addition, it is to be expected that genome-edited plants pose no greater or different risk than conventionally bred ones.
We must not wait for plants from other countries
It is not enough to have genome-edited plants developed somewhere in the world and then import them. Because the plants developed in the USA, China or South America are not optimally adapted to the local soil, our climate and agriculture.
The decision of the National Council is courageous, but nevertheless too cautious. Because the Federal Council now has almost two years to submit its proposals on how genome-edited plants could be exempted from the cultivation ban for GMOs. The decision is therefore not a strong signal to the local plant researchers to now increasingly develop genome-edited plants for Switzerland.
The snail’s pace may be understandable given the skepticism of many people towards genetic engineering in agriculture. In addition, one wants to wait and see the development in the EU in this country. There, too, consideration is being given to exempting genome-edited plants from GMO regulations.
Politicians in Switzerland and the EU should now think less about it. And take an example from much braver countries. In the USA, Canada, Brazil and Argentina, genome-edited plants are no longer subject to GMO regulations. Great Britain and China want to follow suit. If people hesitate for too long in this country, the local seed companies and farmers miss out on ecological and economic opportunities.