Plant ETP has recently organised a lunch seminar to discuss different perspectives in the context of the European Commission’s NGT legislative proposal. The event was co-hosted by MEP Michaela Šojdrová, Member of the European People’s Party (EPP) and attended by several farmers, policymakers, breeders and researchers looking at the future of Europe’s agri-food systems.
The main highlights included insights into the advancements in the precision breeding of crops using gene editing by Prof Dirk Inze, an emeritus Professor at Ghent University and the Director of the Center for Plant Systems Biology at VIB, and perspectives from organic farmers like Dorrit Andersen, representing the Danish organic vegetable farmers and the Spanish farmer Felipe Cortines, managing both organic and conventional farming.
The seminar concluded with a dynamic open-floor discussion about potential alternatives, pitfalls and expectations on the next phase of food systems, while emphasizing the essential presence of farmers’ voice in shaping solid and effective agricultural policies.
