THE French Association of Plant Biotechnologies (AFBV), bringing together around a hundred researchers and experts in the field of green biotechnology, welcomes the position taken by French Minister of Agriculture Julien Denormandie, which favors new plant breeding technologies (NPBT or NBT). In a press release, AFBV states that such technologies make it possible to speed up plant breeding and make it more efficient.
The AFBV is particularly focused and concerned with genome editing, saying that it must be included as part of the range of innovative technologies that breeders can use to meet the needs of agriculture and society. However, this potential for innovation is currently blocked by European regulations which prohibit the use of novel biotechnologies while their competitors in world markets have them available.
The press release says that the initiative of the Minister of Agriculture to demand a new regulatory framework adapted to the progress of science constitutes a positive step towards allowing the continuation of innovation in plant breeding. This adaptation is also necessary to ensure seed sovereignty in France, the first essential link in the country’s food sovereignty.
