The adoption of new technologies by plant breeders and developers depends on clear, predictable, risk-proportionate regulation and the breadth of its application to potential products. Many countries have recently put forth regulations that exempt or exclude plants produced through gene editing from regulations that authorize the use of transgenic plants for cultivation, food, feed or processing. However, differences in key elements of these exemptions or exclusions means overall utility for plant breeding innovation varies greatly.
This severely limits the ability of developers of new plant varieties produced using gene editing tools from conducting large scale, open-field evaluations, as is customary in conventional breeding programs.
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In short, regulation based on process will not advance common goals of nutrition, sustainability or consumer preference. On the contrary, process-based regulation will only delay or prevent the achievement of these goals. Differential requirements lead to a confusing system with higher burdens, lower utility and increased time to market. This only creates disincentive to fund research and business investment, and ultimately throws up barriers to reaching consumers and improving diets for even the simplest and most-familiar of characteristics. When science cannot distinguish one seedless grape from another, neither should regulation.
