Alexandria, Virginia, USA
April 1, 2025
As part of the association’s ongoing advocacy work in the EU, ASTA recently partnered with Euroseeds in hosting a Lunch & Learn on plant breeding, highlighting New Genomic Techniques (NGTs). The event, which took place on March 27 in Brussels, Belgium, explored the huge potential of NGTs for European food systems and the obstacles that are preventing European breeders from innovating to their full potential. The European plant breeding industry needs regulatory certainty around NGTs as soon as possible if they are to develop new varieties in time to help farmers deal with ever-growing threats to European food systems.
The event featured a livestream into a greenhouse where NGTs are being used to develop insect-resistant oilseed rape and disease-resistant sugar beet, as well as a testimonial from a pioneering expert using CRISPR to reduce the environmental impact of agriculture.
In a joint introduction from ASTA and Euroseeds, ASTA’s Dr. Fan-Li Chou and Dr. Petra Jorasch, Manager, Plant Breeding Innovation Advocacy, Euroseeds, demonstrated the integrated nature of the seed sector and the critical importance of regulatory alignment across different countries for the sector to function.
This was followed by a livestream by ASTA-Euroseeds member KWS, a leading family-owned plant breeding and seed production company based in Germany, into one of their greenhouses. Anja Matzk, Head of Regulatory Affairs, KWS, and Stefan Meldau, Group Lead for Biotic Stress Traits, KWS, outlined the urgent need to tackle the growing impacts of pests and viruses on European yields and the inadequacy of conventional breeding processes – which take 8-12 years to develop a new variety – to deal with the issue. Due to the more precise and easily controlled process of using NGTs, the technologies chop 2-5 years off the development process, enabling breeders to react more quickly to growing environmental challenges. KWS emphasized the need for legal certainty and the ability to conduct field trials for them to be able to develop new varieties desperately needed by European farmers.
Next, Lotte Westerhoff, CSO, Hudson River Biotechnology, outlined the challenges they have faced as a small business operating in the European sector. Lotte described how regulatory uncertainty led to a reduction in investment, and the urgent need for clarity around the new EU NGT regulation, which should be compatible with other countries around the globe to promote investment and trade. Lotte also addressed the importance of being able to reap the rewards of investment through patents, without which Hudson wouldn’t be able to survive.
As the EU NGT file moves into trialogue negotiations, it is crucial that legislators recognize the immense potential of these technologies and actively support the businesses striving to harness them to aid farmers and safeguard our food systems.
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