EU committee approves New Plant Breeding (NGT) techniques

The Committee of Permanent Representatives of EU Member States approved the trilogue outcome on the proposed NGT Plants Regulation last Friday with a qualified majority. Only the European Parliament’s consent will now be required in early March 2026.

The Committee narrowly backed the deregulation of new genomic techniques (NGTs) in plant breeding. This regulation has been controversial for years, as it removes strict labelling and documentation obligations for minor NGT interventions. These primarily involve targeted mutagenesis of native genetic material, affecting no more than 20 nucleotides, usually resulting in the loss of a gene’s function. Unlike the strictly monitored NGT-2 plants, NGT1 varieties cannot be distinguished from conventionally produced mutants.

The Danish Council Presidency welcomed the decision, stating: “With this agreement, we have taken a major step in strengthening the competitiveness of the European agricultural and food sector.” The new genomic techniques could enable climate-adapted crops to be bred in a fraction of the time compared with conventional methods. However, organic farmers and environmental groups criticised the lack of labelling requirements for such products. This makes it harder for organic producers, who consider NGTs as unwanted genetic modifications, to prove their products are GMO-free.

Germany abstained. According to the campaign Save Our Seeds, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Austria, Romania, Slovenia, Slovakia, and Hungary also opposed the deregulation. For a qualified majority, 55% of the 27 EU Member States representing 65% of the EU population must vote in favour. The eleven countries supporting the compromise represent 66.7% of the EU countries and 66.2% of the population.

German Environment Minister Carsten Schneider (SPD) called the decision “a serious mistake.” Meanwhile, the German Ministries of Research and Agriculture welcomed that plants and products with changes that could also occur naturally or through conventional breeding (category 1/NGT-1) would be exempt from EU GMO law. According to the ministries, the coalition agreement supports biotechnology as a key technology and aims to facilitate its regulatory application, including new genomic techniques.

The regulation will now be submitted to the European Parliament’s Environment Committee in January. If approved unchanged, it will be presented for a vote in Parliament on 9 March 2026. Following a positive vote, the law would enter into force on 29 March 2026.