Plant Biotechnology Associations Urge EU Parliament to Reject NGT Amendments

Four prominent European plant biotechnology associations have issued a joint open letter urging members of the European Parliament's Committee on the Environment, Climate and Food Safety (ENVI) to swiftly pass a pending compromise regulation on New Genomic Techniques (NGTs). The letter, dated May 15, 2026, was signed by the French Association of Plant Biotechnologies (AFBV), Forum Grüne Vernunft (FGV), the Society for Plant Biotechnology (GfPB), and the Genomics and Genetic Engineering Research Circle (WGG). The coalition argues that a "green light" is desperately needed to counter accelerating global competition. In the letter, the coalition argues that a "green light" is desperately needed to counter accelerating global competition, noting that more than 50% of peer-reviewed NGT research currently originates from China, compared to just 15% from the European Union. 

The push is a direct response to a series of amendments tabled by several Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) on May 4, 2026. These amendments seek to alter a hard-fought trilogue compromise proposal, which had previously garnered formal approval from a qualified majority of EU Member States on April 21, 2026. Critics of the current draft argue that it fails to adequately protect small and medium enterprises, farmers, and consumers, citing concerns over transparency and intellectual property safeguards. However, the biotech associations contend that adopting these amendments would trigger multi-year regulatory delays, severely crippling the EU agrifood sector's competitiveness amidst escalating climate challenges.

Dismissing the lawmakers' concerns as redundant, the associations detailed that existing frameworks and European Patent Office rules already offer robust protections against the patenting of natural traits and safeguard farmers from accidental patent liability. They further warned that additional transparency demands on NGT-1 products, such as full, downstream food supply chain tracing, are scientifically unworkable and legally unenforceable, given that NGT-1 mutations are biologically equivalent to conventional breeding. Urging parliamentarians to reject the amendments, the group concluded that the agreed-upon compromise remains the most legally secure path forward for European agricultural innovation.

For more details, read the open letter on the AFBV website.