At the informal meeting of EU agriculture ministers in Cordoba from 3 to 5 September, the Spanish Presidency of the Council of the EU took steps to promote the use of new genomic techniques (NGTs) in agriculture.
“Innovation in plant breeding will accelerate the development of more resilient varieties and thus help to strengthen agriculture’s climate transition”, says the Spanish Presidency in the working document to be submitted to the ministers on Tuesday 5 September on the issue of new genomic techniques (see EUROPE 13241/3).
In presenting its proposal, “the Commission has indicated how NGTs can contribute to the transition towards a more sustainable food and agriculture system and help reduce the EU’s external dependencies for agrifood production”, according to the document.
These plants will help to meet the new challenges posed by climate change and reduce the use of plant protection products and fertilisers.
The Spanish Minister, Luis Planas, stressed on Monday that “research, innovation and new technologies are essential if we are to make progress towards a sustainable agri-food system and a living, dynamic rural environment”.
Peter Kullgren, the Swedish minister, believes that NGTs “have the potential to be important for competitiveness and climate adaptation” and that “we must have the opportunity to use these techniques”.
Link to the document: https://aeur.eu/f/8f9 (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)