Overview
- Negotiators split new genomic techniques into NGT1 and NGT2, with NGT1 plants that could occur naturally or via conventional breeding exempt from most GMO requirements while NGT2 stays under stricter GMO rules.
- NGT1 varieties must be indicated in official databases and on seed bags, whereas NGT2 products remain fully traceable and labelled, and EU countries may restrict or prohibit NGT2 cultivation.
- Patents are allowed except for traits or sequences occurring in nature or produced by biological means, with farmers retaining the right to save and replant seeds and patent details to be disclosed in a public database.
- Organic production will exclude NGTs, though technically unavoidable presence of NGT1 material will not count as non-compliance for organic operators.
- The agreement requires formal second-reading endorsement by Parliament and the Council before entering into force, with application two years later and an EU patents code of conduct due within 18 months alongside sustainability monitoring.