EU eases rules on gene-edited crops, easing path for CRISPR agriculture
The European Union has overturned its previous strict restrictions on cultivating gene-edited crops, no longer classifying them under the same rules as traditional GMOs. The change allows CRISPR-edited plants, which involve only small DNA changes rather than foreign-species insertions, to be grown more freely, potentially alongside conventional crops. A plant geneticist argues this shift could reshape European agriculture, though he warns the new rules still contain flaws that may limit their benefits.