Genetically modified plants may not be cultivated on German fields. Research into them has so far been strictly regulated throughout the European Union, in contrast to other countries such as the USA. Well-known science organizations are protesting louder and louder. The EU Commission has now announced that it will reconsider the legal framework.
From the point of view of many scientists, the applicable laws are incomprehensible and important research is being slowed down. In a statement, the National Academy of Sciences and the German Research Foundation (DFG) write that European genetic engineering law is impeding the development of urgently needed improved crops.
New genetic engineering methods are necessary, for example, to be able to adapt plants more precisely and quickly to the consequences of the climate crisis, explains the Vice President of the DFG, Axel Brakhage, to the ARD magazine Panorama .
“We now need heat-tolerant plants, we need plants that are much more resistant to fungal diseases, otherwise we will not be able to ensure nutrition in the world,” says the molecular biologist.
[Editor’s note: This article has been translated from German and edited for clarity]
