New Plant Breeding Techniques
Published: 14/02/2022
The
GMO Council announced on 27 October that NPBTs (New Plant Breeding Techniques)
will be treated as GMO. (NPBTs) need to
be evaluated outside the ambits of the current GMO Act. It is necessary to introduce NPBTs faster and
more cost-efficiently into the South African market. The response on the application for appeal is
still being awaited from the GMO Council. Early 2021, Agbiz (Dr. John Purchase)
organized a meeting with the DG: Agriculture, Mr. Ramasodi. In this meeting, the DG referred the whole
matter to the Chairperson of the GMO Executive Council, Dr. Julian Japhta. By
the end of November, Agbiz assisted SANSOR and Croplife to lodge a formal
appeal based on science against the GMO Council’s decision.