Genetic Modification in Recent News

With the Russian invasion of Ukraine reminding the world of the fickleness of its food supply chains, the topic of maintaining robust food supply is becoming increasingly salient in the world’s discourse. With 30% of global wheat exports originating from Black Sea ports, combined with the fact that a significant proportion of the world’s fertilizer comes from (now sanctioned) Russia, many of the world’s farmers will be forced to switch to low-fertilizer crops in less suitable farming areas to feed the world’s population – something that will stimulate the increased use of GM and GE crops.

In addition to maintaining a robust food supply, crops could be edited in such a way as to improve public health. In England, a Bill has been passed by the UK parliament to allow the sale of gene-edited tomatoes that boost the body’s vitamin D. Until this point, gene-edited crops had been banned from UK shelves; this development therefore marks a significant shift in the attitudes of western governments towards genetic modification where it improves the lives of its citizens. However, the EU and US continue to resist most advancement in the field, citing both religious objections and concerns over regulation.

Furthermore, environmental and regulatory changes that are occurring as a result of climate change are also necessitating changes to crop growth. Nigel Moore, of KWS, a plant-breeding firm in Hertfordshire, UK says "If we think about the pace of climate change: the need to reduce nitrogen fertilizer, need to use less pesticides; the faster we get the genetic changes we need, the faster we are able to adapt to all of that changing world around us".

With governments around the world beginning to address climate change with more ferocity, pressures for the gene-editing of crops will undoubtedly proliferate.