What the Genetic Technology (Precision Breeding) Regulations mean for organic businesses - and what we are doing about it

Last month, the UK government passed new legislation that will allow gene-edited (precision-bred) crops onto supermarket shelves in England – potentially as soon as 2026.

The Soil Association has long campaigned against genetic modification of crops and farm animals because it distracts attention from established, and evidenced solutions for food security and nature recover. Organic systems are one such solution, delivering far greater benefits like strengthening natural ecosystems and communities, regenerating soil health, building resilience and providing the best life for animals.

We continue to work hard to ensure the needs of the organic sector are not ignored, especially where regulation is weak, or fails to protect consumer choice. Today, our priority is to ensure that clear labelling and transparency in the supply chain means consumers and organic businesses can easily avoid PBOs.

 

What’s changing?

The Genetic Technology (Precision Breeding PBO) Regulations completed their passage through Parliament in May. These regulations apply in England only, but because of internal market rules, gene-edited food produced in England could also end up on shelves in Scotland and Wales, even though these countries continue to treat gene-edited food as Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) and require stricter controls. Northern Ireland is subject to the EU Organic Regulations which exclude GMOs (which currently includes PBOs).

Under this new law:

• there will be no requirement to label gene-edited foods;

• there will be no obligation to trace or segregate them through the supply chain;

• businesses and consumers will be required to make their own efforts to find out whether something contains PBOs (Precision Bred Organisms), at significant personal cost and time;

• organic remains legally and globally prohibited from using PBOs but the infrastructure to ensure this separation is currently lacking.

Without knowing exactly what has been altered, there is currently no reliable scientific method to detect PBOs in products. Without clear labelling or traceability, it could prove significantly harder and more expensive for organic farmers and businesses to exclude gene-edited material from their supply chains, as required by organic regulation.

 

What does this mean for organic?

Organic is founded on principles that protect nature, health, and animal welfare, including a clear and longstanding commitment to exclude GMOs and PBOs.

But this new law:

• shifts the burden of avoiding PBOs entirely onto organic supply chains;

• creates practical and potentially financial challenges, particularly for certification and trade;

• introduces regulatory confusion across the UK and EU, risking barriers to both internal and international organic trade. 
  
  

What we are doing

The Soil Association is:

• actively involved in Defra’s Stakeholder Dialogue on Genetic Technologies, pushing for proper co-existence measures and transparency in supply chains;

• actively pushing these issues in Parliament. Soil Association’s Director of Policy, Brendan Costelloe, has presented our case for proper co-existence measures and transparency in supply chains to the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee. We were pleased that MPs and industry reps were sympathetic to our concerns;

• urging Defra and Ministers to mandate ways for businesses and consumers to trace and identify PBOs in order to make informed choices;

• working with partners across the UK and EU to understand and respond to trade implications as EU law continues to develop.

By placing the burden of tracing, identifying and excluding PBOs entirely on a sector delivering a range of benefits for people, animals and environment, inadequate regulation of GE stands to place further economic pressure on organic farmers and food handlers, limiting future growth potential of a market worth over £3 billion.

We propose those who choose to develop and market PBOs should bear the costs to identify and label them. This would ensure those that want or need to avoid them, like organic supply chains, do not have to unfairly pay the price of safeguarding a future-facing part of our food & farming sector.

To best support licensees and certified businesses through this transition we will continuously provide clear guidance as the situation evolves.

 

What can you do?

• Stay informed: We’ll be sharing updates and guidance as more detail emerges. Read our full policy position here.

• Talk to us: If you’re concerned about the impact on your business or supply chain, get in touch with us regulatoryaffairs@soilassociation.org. Your input helps shape our advocacy.

• Raise your voice: The government still has powers to require labelling. Public and industry pressure will matter. Write to your MP and Government/Trade contacts and ask how they will ensure that your business is not adversely impacted by the new legislation.

We will continue to fight for fair, transparent regulation, and to protect the integrity of organic food and farming.

 

 

If you have any questions or concerns regarding the above, please don’t hesitate to contact us at regulatoryaffairs@soilassociation.org.