Possible experiments with CRISPR-Cas in the Netherlands after all

In the coming weeks, Minister of Agriculture Schouten will send a letter to the Lower House in which she advocates experimenting with CRISPR-Cas.
In July, the European Court of Justice ruled that this method falls under the strict rules of genetic modification. Schouten regrets this, because it could accelerate the sustainability of the sector.

Feeders at a disadvantage

In countries such as the U.S. and Japan, CRISPR-Cas does not fall under genetic modification and breeders can develop and market new varieties more quickly. As a result, we already see in the Netherlands that research assignments and R&D departments are being moved outside of Europe.

What is CRISPR-CAS again?

With CRISPR-CAS the process of classical breeding is simplified. Crops are improved by "cutting" weaknesses from the dna. Unlike genetic modification, this method does not involve mixing with dna from other species. With this addition, CRISPR-Cas was also included in the coalition agreement.

Support from the sector

Scientists at WUR applaud Schouten's initiative and hope that the minister can ensure that CRISPR-Cas is placed on the European Commission's list of exemptions. Jan Veltmans, board member at LLTB also considers this a very positive development. "This is a one hundred percent safe technique with which we can increase the resilience of crops at a much higher rate. Think of crops that are not susceptible to certain diseases, or better able to withstand drought or, on the contrary, a lot of moisture. This is important for the sector, especially now that we are increasingly having to deal with climate change."

Province sees opportunities

Limburg's deputy for agriculture, Hubert Mackus, also sees potential in the innovative method. "With this technology we can speed up the process of making agriculture more sustainable. Limburg is by far the country's largest producer of seeds and starting materials and this is therefore particularly important here. I therefore endorse the opinion of Minister Schouten: let's explore the possibilities to experiment. Care and safety are of course paramount, but if we can build in sufficient guarantees, I see this as a great opportunity."

Sources: Volkskrant, WUR