European Union Reaches a Deal to Allow Gene Editing in Farming

European Union negotiators reached a deal on new rules that pave the way for gene editing, a technique that will help farmers produce healthier animals and crops as they adjust to climate change.

Representatives of member states, the European Commission and the European Parliament agreed in the early hours of Thursday on the final shape of a law that will exempt gene-edited plants and animals from the bloc’s regulations covering genetically modified organisms. Crucially, gene editing mimics the natural breeding process, and doesn’t introduce DNA from a different species like conventional GM organisms.