EU Embrace of New Breeding Techniques Marks a Winning Moment for Innovation in Agriculture

Today’s vote in the European Parliament to adopt a framework for New Genomic Techniques (NGTs) marks an important moment for the future of agriculture and further signals growing global alignment around the role of innovation in building a more resilient, sustainable food system. 

“The adoption of clear legislation on NGTs reflects a meaningful shift toward a more modern, science-based approach – one that recognizes the potential of gene editing to accelerate plant breeding and unlock meaningful benefits for farmers, consumers, and the planet,” said Inari CEO Lisa Safarian. “Inari has worked to serve as an informational resource throughout the process by providing policymakers access to our facilities in Ghent, Belgium for a transparent look at how gene editing is being used as an advanced form of precision breeding.”  

A Win for Europe  

At its core, gene editing brings forward a powerful evolution in how we improve crops. By making precise, targeted changes to a plant’s DNA, scientists can enhance traits to improve yield, nutritional profiles, resource efficiency, and much more in ways that could occur naturally, but with far greater speed and accuracy.  

“Like farmers across the world, growers in Europe are facing mounting pressures – from climate change to increasing costs for inputs. Gene editing offers a significant opportunity to address these challenges in a timely manner,” said Fred Van Ex, Inari vice president of business development and strategy, and managing director of the company’s site in Ghent, Belgium. 

Designed to boost the EU agrifood sector, strengthen food security, and reduce reliance on external inputs, the NGT framework will help equip European farmers with cutting-edge tools to improve productivity and sustainability while supporting their long-term competitiveness.  

“This will allow our local farmers to access more solutions so they can better tackle the challenges they face. With its Ghent facility, Inari is ideally positioned to fully leverage the new opportunities.” said Van Ex. 

A Win for Global Innovation  

Regulatory clarity is critical to turning innovation into impact. With today’s decision, the EU is taking an important step toward providing a more predictable and enabling framework for gene-edited crops, with meaningful implications beyond Europe’s borders. 

For U.S. farmers and other global producers, clearer pathways in the EU can help reduce uncertainty in their target export markets and support more seamless trade in agricultural products using advanced breeding technologies. As regulatory approaches increasingly align, farmers and consumers everywhere stand to benefit from a more consistent, transparent global system. 

“Inari has already developed a commercial-ready solution in the U.S. with our High Yield Designs for soybeans, and we see a lot of excitement from farmers and customers who are ready to bring this forward. This framework sends an important signal across the value chain in support of the safety and use of this impactful technology,” said Inari Chief Commercial Officer Rob Dunlop.  

Importantly, the NGT framework’s approach balances innovation with oversight – maintaining high standards for safety and environmental protection while allowing lower-risk gene-edited crops to be developed and deployed more efficiently.  

A Win for Collaboration 

Agriculture is inherently global. Seeds, supply chains, and food systems are interconnected in ways that transcend borders. Progress in one region can catalyze progress elsewhere. 

By embracing a framework that recognizes the distinction between different types of genomic techniques, the EU is helping to create space for collaboration across geographies and across the value chain. This includes enabling breeders, researchers, and farmers to work together more effectively to bring forward new solutions. 

“We’ve long been in discussions with European-based breeding companies, exploring possible solutions that are meaningful for their farmers across different regions. Today’s decision supports the advancement of this work and opens the door to new opportunities for a broad range of companies and partnerships,” said Van Ex. 

A Win for Agriculture  

Inari sees today’s decision as a strong signal of momentum for the future of agriculture. 

As a leader in gene editing and predictive design, our work is grounded in the belief that better seeds can transform the global food system. By combining advancements in AI, genomics research and gene editing technology, we are unlocking the full potential of crops to help the world grow smarter.  

“The advancement of NGT frameworks reinforces what we have long believed: Innovation in plant breeding is essential to addressing some of the world’s most pressing challenges, from climate change to food security,” said Safarian.