中國允許基因編輯農作物以促進糧食安全

Recently Yahoo New on-line reported the following:

China to allow gene-edited crops in push for food security

Mon, January 24, 2022, 8:57 PM

By Dominique Patton

BEIJING (Reuters) - China has published trial rules for the approval of gene-edited plants, paving the way for faster improvements to crops as it seeks to bolster its food security.

Gene editing - or altering the genes of a plant to change or improve its performance - is viewed by some scientists as less risky than genetically-modifying them, which involves transferring a foreign gene.

The new guidelines, published by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs late Monday, come amid a raft of measures aimed at overhauling China's seed industry, seen as a weak link in efforts to ensure it can feed the world's biggest population.

Beijing has also recently passed new regulations that set out a clear path for approval for genetically modified (GM)crops.

But while it has deliberated for years whether to allow planting of GM crops to feed its people and livestock, it is ahead of some nations in outlining clear and relatively fast procedures for gene-edited crops.

"Given the strong investment of the Chinese government in genome editing, we expect the release of a relatively open policy in the coming years," Rabobank wrote in a December report.

China's research institutes have already published more research on market-oriented gene-edited crops than any other country, it added.

The technology's precision makes it faster than conventional breeding or genetic modification, and also lowers the cost.

Regulation is also less cumbersome in some countries, such as the United States, although the European Union is still reviewing how to regulate the technology.

"This really opens the door for plant breeding. It's an infinite opportunity to improve crops more precisely and much more efficiently," said Han Gengchen, chairman of seed company Origin Agritech.

The draft rules stipulate that once gene-edited plants have completed pilot trials, a production certificate can be applied for, skipping the lengthy field trials required for the approval of a GM plant.

That means it could take only a year or two to get approval for a gene-edited plant, said Han, compared with around six years for GM ones.

It is not clear how many companies or institutes are ready to apply for approval of edited products.

Chinese researchers have used gene-editing to create lettuce seeds rich in vitamin C and herbicide-resistant rice, according to a Global Times report.

China's leadership said in late 2020 the country needed to use science and technology for an urgent "turnaround" of its seed industry, which has long struggled with overcapacity and little innovation.

China imports a significant share of its vegetable seeds and wants to reduce its reliance on overseas breeding.

(Reporting by Dominique Patton; Editing by Richard Pullin and Mark Potter)

Translation

北京（路透社）- 中國公佈了規則去獲得進行基因編輯植物試驗的批准，為加快農作物改良鋪平道路, 以加強其糧食安全。

一些科學家認為，基因編輯 - 或改變植物基因以改變或改善其性能 - 的風險低於基因改造它們，因為後者涉及轉移外來基因。

農業和農村事務部周一晚間發佈的新指導方針,是在一系列旨在改革中國種子產業的措施之際去發佈的，種子產業被視為去確保其能夠養活世界上最大的人口的薄弱環節。

北京最近還通過了新法規，為轉基因（GM）作物的批准制定了明確的途徑。

儘管多年來它一直在考慮是否允許種植轉基因作物來養活其人民和牲畜，但北京在為基因編輯作物製定清晰和相對快速的程序方面領先於一些國家。

荷蘭合作銀行(Rabobank)在 12 月的一份報告中寫道:“鑑於中國政府在基因組編輯方面的大力投資，我們預計未來幾年將發佈相對開放的政策” 。

它補充說，中國的研究機構已經發表了比其他任何國家都多的, 以市場為導向的基因編輯作物的研究。

該技術的精確性使其比傳統的育種或基因改造更快，並且還降低了成本。

在美國等一些國家，監管也不那麼繁瑣，儘管歐盟仍在審查如何監管該技術。

種子公司 Origin Agritech的 董事長Han Gengchen說: “這確實為植物育種打開了大門。這是一個無限的機會，可以更精確、更有效地改良作物” 。

規則草案規定，一旦基因編輯植物完成試點試驗，就可以申請生產證書，跳過批准轉基因植物所需的冗長的田間試驗。

Han Gengchen說，這意味著基因編輯植物可能只需要一兩年的時間就能獲得批准，而轉基因植物大約需要六年時間。

目前尚不清楚有多少公司或機構準備申請編輯產品的批准。

據《環球時報》報導，中國研究人員利用基因編輯技術培育出富含維生素 C 和抗除草劑水稻的萵苣種子。

中國領導層在 2020 年底表示，該國需要利用科學技術來緊急“扭轉”其種子產業，該產業長期以來一直在產能過剩和創新不足的問題上苦苦掙扎。

中國進口了很大一部分蔬菜種子，並希望減少對海外育種的依賴。

So, China has published trial rules for the approval of gene-edited plants, paving the way for faster improvements to crops. Given the strong investment of the Chinese government in genome editing, it is expected  that a relatively open policy will help China "turnaround" in its seed industry, which has long struggled with overcapacity and little innovation.