EU paves the way for the future of agriculture – new technologies approved

The EU’s approval of new plant breeding technologies, also known as New Genomic Techniques (NGT), is an important step for European food security. It opens new agriculture opportunities, which must increasingly deliver higher and more stable yields with fewer inputs and lower reliance on crop protection products.

New plant breeding technologies make it possible to develop robust crop varieties more precisely—and therefore faster—so they can better withstand diseases and changing climate conditions, while requiring less fertiliser and crop protection. NGT helps address key challenges in agriculture and supports the goal of producing more with fewer resources.

According to Anders Ravn-Nielsen, Vice President, Global Crop Categories at DLG Group, the agreement is a welcome development:
“This is an important step in the right direction. With the NGT agreement, we gain better opportunities to develop plants that are more resistant to infection and can better withstand weather conditions. This means the need for crop protection can be reduced, while maintaining a strong and competitive European food production.”

Plant breeding reduces the need for inputs

DLG Group invests in plant breeding through Sejet Plant Breeding, which the company owns together with Novo Holdings. The innovative work is focused on developing new crop varieties that are more resistant to disease and meet farmers’ needs.

One example is the wheat variety ‘SJ Salk’, which is already being grown on a trial basis in the field and shows strong resistance to the widespread fungal disease septoria – a major driver of crop protection use.

Solutions rather than restrictions

Bans and restrictions often dominate the debate on drinking water and crop protection. According to DLG Group, the focus should increasingly be on practical solutions that work in the field. By strengthening plants’ natural resistance, the need for crop protection can be significantly reduced—without compromising yield, quality, or food security.

“The most effective way to reduce the use of crop protection is actually to develop plants that do not need it. With NGT, we gain a crucial tool to accelerate exactly this development. However, it is also important to emphasise that this takes time before solutions are ready to make a real impact in the field. Now we need to start working with the technology in practice and realise its full potential to create an even greener agriculture in the future,” says Troels Nørgaard, CEO of Sejet Plant Breeding.

For farmers, this development ultimately comes down to producing more with fewer resources - without compromising quality or profitability. NGT will be one of the most important tools in the years ahead.