The Genetic Technology (Precision Breeding) Act – which passes into law – is being lauded by the government as a major step in unlocking growth and innovation in new technologies and in reinforcing food security in the face of climate change.

To ensure England becomes a world leader in agri-food innovation, the act will set in motion changes to allow farmers to grow crops which are drought and disease resistant, reduce use of fertilisers and pesticides, and breed animals that are protected from harmful diseases.

Precision breeding involves using technologies such as gene editing to adapt the genetic code of organisms – creating beneficial traits in plants that would take decades to achieve through traditional methods.

This would enable scientists to create foods that are more flexible, adaptable and plentiful for years to come.

Under the provisions of this Act, a new science-based and streamlined regulatory system will be introduced to facilitate greater research and innovation in precision breeding – with stricter regulations remaining in place for genetically modified organisms (GMOs).

The Genetic Technology (Precision Breeding) Act covers precision-bred plants and animals developed through techniques such as gene editing. This is different to genetic modification (GM), which produces crops containing genetic changes that could not have occurred through traditional breeding or occur naturally.

The issue of gene-editing and GMO qualifications has been a hot topic and the world tries to ethically solve hunger in a changing climate.

The EU has stricter laws for GMOs – the UK’s new law would ease certain regulations, fast-tracking the process.

The scientific community seems largely split: in a survey prior to the bill being passed, the Chartered Institute of Environmental Health found a near three-way tie among it’s members: 34% neither agreed nor disagreed with the bill, 39% did not want precision-bred food in the UK, while 27% were in favour.

The government has stipulated that the act ensures that the Food Standards Agency will consult on new food and feed legislation before any changes in the market are seen, and a new proportionate risk assessment for precision bred food and feed will be produces.

Scotland and Wales are yet to confirm the Act under their own governments, with critiques saying they would like to refer to more stringent EU regulations, and the Scottish Parliament wary of regulatory powers it would forfeit to the UK government.

Food Minister Mark Spencer assured the English public: “The Genetic Technology Act is fantastic news for British consumers and farmers. Precision Breeding technologies are the future of food production not just at home, but around the world, and this Act will put our nation at the forefront of this revolution.

“Some 40% of crops globally are lost every year to floods, pests and other external events, and this new law will unlock our agri-biotech industry to support resilient food production for decades to come.”

England does however, join countries such as Argentina, the US, Australia and Japan that have already enacted similar legislation to drive increased innovation in food and agri-tech and deal with pressing hunger issues.

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Defra’s Chief Scientific Adviser Gideon Henderson said: “This is an important time for agricultural science. The ability to use gene editing to make precise, targeted changes to the genetic code of organisms, in a way that can mimic traditional breeding, enables development of new crop varieties that are more resistant to pests, healthier to eat, and more resilient to drought and heat as climate changes.”

While there is a potential for further innovation, the government says it recognises that there is a need to safeguard animal welfare in the new regulatory framework.

With this recognition, the government says it plans a step-by-step approach, first enabling the use of precision breeding technologies on plants, then moving to animals.