Biotechnology
Fix biosolutions legislative landscape or lose talent and scale-ups, says strategist
Est. 6minInvestors champion biotechnology with AI as the engine of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, but despite Europe’s strong ambitions biotech analysts say legislation designed for chemicals is not fit for the biological. The result is an exodus of talent and investment.
EU countries fail again to find agreement on gene edited plants patents
Est. 2minDespite the presentation of a new compromise text from the Belgian presidency, national experts could not find an agreement to unblock one of the agrifood unfinished dossier of the legislature.
Europe’s biosolutions sector is leveraging nature to strengthen sustainability and resilience
Est. 7minBiosolutions are nature's tools, offering a powerful pathway to accelerate the transition towards a sustainable and greener future, while potentially strengthening Europe’s resilience, supply chain sovereignty and competitiveness.
EU needs an ambitious Bio Act, says MEP Weiss
Est. 6minEurope needs a Bio Act according to MEP Pernille Weiss (EPP). Weiss and other expert speakers at the European High-Level Summit on Biosolutions said failing to develop an effective biosolutions framework will lead to a stifling of innovation and growth.
Stop regulating biosolutions as chemicals, requests Novonesis CEO
Est. 8minFresh from a company merger, Novonesis CEO Ester Baiget came to Brussels with an important ask – to create a level playing field for biosolutions; arguing it makes no sense to treat enzymes and proteins as if they were manmade.
The Bio-Revolution, European biosolutions boosting the EU Green Deal
Est. 7minEurope is on the cusp of a technological revolution. Unlike the Industrial Revolution’s massive factories, the bio-revolution centres around micro-factories. Biosolutions represent the fusion of biology and technology, offering powerful tools to address climate change.
German government mulls limiting biofuel production
Est. 4minGermany's environment and agriculture ministries are apparently currently working on restrictions for the production of biofuels so that more grain can be used as human food as agriculture markets remain strained due to the war in Ukraine. EURACTIV Germany reports.
Germany to use controversial biomass amid energy crisis
Est. 5minBiomass will be used to meet particularly high energy demands, according to the German government's so-called "Easter Package", which aims to use agricultural raw materials for energy production in response to the war in Ukraine.
Europabio: Life science needs future-proof approach to become innovation ��powerhouse’
Est. 6minThe EU's policy priorities are a once-in-a-generation change to the regulatory framework offering both the industrial biotech and healthcare sectors an opportunity to set a direction for the next decades, says the newly appointed chairman of EuropaBio.
The future of biotech in Europe
Est. 1minA fairly recent but already fast-growing industry, the biotech sector seeks to claim a role in Europe as a catalyst for growth in the aftermath of the COVID-crisis.
Commission at odds with Parliament over GM crop authorisations
Est. 4minThe EU executive looks set to press ahead with a "new approach" to genetically modified (GM) crop authorisations in the wake of persistent lack of political support for the technology in the European Parliament.
Plant breeding sector split over potential of patenting to spur innovation
Est. 4minThe European Commission adopted its intellectual property plan in November, hailed as a driver of future growth, but the plant breeding sector remains divided over the potential of intellectual property rights for spurring on much-needed agricultural innovation.
EU still reflects over agri-innovation as UK mulls moves forward
Est. 7minWhile the EU considers the potential role of new innovative techniques to protect harvests from pests and diseases, on the other side of the Channel, the UK is getting ready to open the door to new gene-editing technologies post-Brexit.
Farm to Fork Strategy: What role of nutrients?
Looking at the future of agriculture in general, and the fertiliser industry in particular, the challenges of sustainable food production are apparent. Growing food demand will force farmers to invest in innovative tools to increase production, ensuring maximum efficiency from …
How much does it cost to ‘sweeten’ a day’s work?
Est. 9minHistory of agriculture and food has always been the result of constant attempts and innovation, as the impact of beetroot on sugar production and price has shown in the past, three researchers write.
UK Environment secretary offers support for gene editing, diverges from EU stance
Est. 5minIn an environmental audit meeting on Thursday (18 June), UK Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, George Eustice offered his support for gene editing after Brexit, saying that the UK government disagrees with the EU stance on …
What is genetic engineering? A plea for a rational definition of what it is and what it isn’t
Est. 7minThe public debate on genetic engineering in agriculture is largely characterised by misinformation, myths and a confused understanding of nature, writes plant breeding and gene editing expert, Professor Hans-Jörg Jacobsen (PhD).
Embracing technology to feed a growing world
Est. 6minIt is time for America and Europe to work together to solve the next great challenge facing us - to produce enough food, with fewer inputs, to feed a growing world population - which means embracing innovation and technology in a safe, sustainable agriculture, writes Sonny Perdue.
EFSA will keep British experts despite Brexit [Part II]
Est. 6minThe European Food Safety Authority will keep UK experts in its ranks despite Brexit, because science does not recognise borders "and we want to have the best people", the EU food watchdog chief told EURACTIV.com in an exclusive interview.
EFSA chief: Assessing fast-changing agrifood innovation is key challenge [Part I]
Est. 8minBeing equipped with the right methods to assess industry’s rapidly changing innovation will be a key challenge for the European Food Safety Agency, (EFSA), Bernhard Url, the EU food watchdog's chief, told EURACTIV.com in a wide-ranging interview.
Fighting malnutrition: Golden Rice and the EU’s GMO conundrum
Est. 8minIn the last two decades, the cultivation of genetically biofortified crops, such as Golden Rice, to help solve the global humanitarian crisis of “malnutrition” remains elusive. Let’s consider the facts.
Italian minister: Unlike gene editing, GMOs belong to the past
Est. 3minItaly's agricultural minister Teresa Bellanova expressed an interest in developing sustainable biotechnology, in the light of a milestone agreement on next-gen biotech between farmers organisation Coldiretti and the Italian Society of Agricultural Genetics (SIGA).
‘New GMOs’: Kyriakides gets off on wrong foot with biased consultation
Est. 4minThe new EU Health Commissioner Stella Kyriakides recently told EURACTIV.com that her “priority is to gather more information” on gene editing. To this end, she said, "we will be preparing a study on new genomic techniques, foreseen for spring 2021”. Clearly, the design and set-up of such a study will be crucial to its outcome, writes Nina Holland.
Renew Europe vows to break ‘taboos’ in EU agriculture
Est. 4minThe centrist Renew Europe group in the European Parliament aims to “break taboos” in the agricultural sector, according to one of its Czech deputies, Martin Hlaváček.