This Monday, a workshop on the potential of New Genomic Techniques (NGTs) was held in Madrid, organized by the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (MAPA) in collaboration with the Center for Research in Agricultural Genomics (CRAG), as part of the scientific advisory project jointly undertaken by both institutions.

These new techniques could facilitate the development of plants and seeds that are more resistant to pests, diseases, and adverse climatic conditions, making them highly valuable tools for addressing the current challenges faced by the sector. For this reason, all stakeholders involved in the agri-food field were invited to the workshop, with the aim of exchanging verified information and fostering dialogue.

The Minister of Agriculture, Luis Planas, opened the event by highlighting the importance of having crops that are more resistant to climate change and capable of ensuring food security in the European Union.

Planas emphasized that “new genomic techniques are especially important. They allow us to modify genetic material in a more precise, efficient, and completely safe way.”

He also stressed that NGTs will help increase productivity, reduce food waste, and improve the profitability of the sector without compromising sustainability.

Next, the director of CRAG, L. María Lois, presented nGENIA, a pioneering scientific advisory initiative coordinated by CRAG in collaboration with MAPA. This initiative, supported by the Spanish Foundation for Science and Technology (FECYT) through funding from the I+P Call, aims to advise MAPA on NGTs and to promote verified information among the various stakeholders in the agri-food sector. In this context, CRAG presented an educational video on genetic improvement techniques and the current state of European regulation, with the goal of raising awareness among the general public and involved actors about these technologies.

The event also featured a presentation by CRAG researcher and Chair of the EFSA Panel on Genetically Modified Organisms, Josep Mª. Casacuberta, who outlined the technical aspects of these technologies, compared them with other techniques, and explained the proposed new European regulation.

In a second session, various research projects from CRAG, the CBGP (Centre for Plant Biotechnology and Genomics), and the IBMCP (Institute for Plant Molecular and Cellular Biology) were presented, all of which are already applying these new genomic techniques. Ana Judith Martín de la Fuente, area coordinator at MAPA and secretary of the Interministerial Council on GMOs, explained the current state of regulation at the European level, and there was also a presentation on the legislative situation in the United Kingdom.

The event concluded with a roundtable discussion on the potential impact of these new techniques on the future of the agri-food sector, with the participation of representatives from producers, breeders, and distributors.

This workshop marks the beginning of a strategic collaboration between CRAG and the Ministry to place scientific evidence at the heart of political decision-making that will shape the future of our agriculture and food systems.

Organized by:

With the collaboration of the Spanish Foundation for Science and Technology – Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities: