New breeding techniques

The New Techniques Working Group of the Commission (2008) considers the new biotechnological techniques applied in plant breeding and/or the modification of other organisms.

National authorities have identified the following techniques for consideration by the group:

• Oligonucleotide Directed Mutagenesis (ODM)
• Zinc Finger Nuclease Technology (ZFN) comprising ZFN-1, ZFN-2 and ZFN-3;
• Cisgenesis comprising Intragenesis;
• Grafting;
• Agro-infiltration;
• RNA-dependent DNA methylation (RdDM);
• Reverse breeding;
• Synthetic genomics.

EFSA has issued an opinion on the risks of these techniques starting with cisgenesis and intragenesis. The Commission and EU countries are clarifying the legal status of these techniques.

See also JRC study on the potential of these technologies, their detection and monitoring