We’ve scanned the web to bring together a library of interesting, thought-provoking articles, blogs, reports and academic papers that explore the issue of genetic engineering in food and farming from broader and deeper perspectives. Browse for inspiration or search by theme.

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Scientific critique of the Genetic Technology (Precision Breeding) Act 2023, the Genetic Technology (Precision Breeding) Regulations 2025, and the corresponding ACRE and FSA guidance documents

Publication date: 30/03/2026

The document provides a scientific commentary and critique of:
• The Genetic Technology (Precision Breeding) Act 2023, the primary legislation on which the secondary legislation, the Genetic Technology (Precision Breeding) Regulations 2025 and the relevant guidance documents are based
• “ACRE [Advisory Committee on Releases to the Environment] guidance on producing precision bred plants” of 13 November 2025 (hereinafter called the “ACRE guidance document”),1 which relates to the Genetic Technology (Precision Breeding) Act 2023 and the Genetic Technology (Precision Breeding) Regulations 2025.
• The UK Food Standards Agency’s (FSA’s) “Technical guidance to applicants for the authorisation of Precision Bred Organisms for food and feed”, of December 2025.
• The Genetic Technology (Precision Breeding) Regulations 2025 (hereinafter called “the 2025 Regulations”

Resource type: article: Web Page

Comparative biology and morphometrics of pink bollworm, Pectinophora gossypiella (Saunders) on Bt cotton and alternate malvaceous hosts

Publication date: 07/03/2026

This study compared how pink bollworm develops on Bt cotton and three other host plants (Abutilon indicum, Abutilon hirtum, and Abelmoschous ficulneus). Egg hatching time was similar across all plants. However, larvae, pupae, and adults lived longer and grew larger on Bt cotton, although their development was slower. This is likely because feeding on Bt cotton causes stress, which delays growth but allows the insects to feed for longer and gain more weight. In contrast, development on the other plants was faster but resulted in smaller, less developed insects. The results also show that pink bollworm can complete its life cycle on these alternative plants, which may help it survive between cotton growing seasons. This has important implications for managing this pest in cotton farming.

Resource type: article: Web Page

“Taking farmers’ trust issues seriously”: Mistrust and the digital tech revolution in water management

Publication date: 01/03/2026

This article examines farmers’ scepticism toward digital irrigation technologies in Spain, using qualitative research from Andalusia and Catalunya to explore layered forms of mistrust shaping adoption. Rather than treating mistrust as a barrier, it is reconceptualised as a diagnostic lens revealing concerns around epistemic exclusion, ecological disconnect, institutional opacity, technical failures, and weak relational reciprocity.

Distinguishing between general mistrust (broader concerns about digital agriculture) and particular mistrust (based on direct experience), the authors identify five categories—epistemic, ecological, institutional, practical, and relational. These show that scepticism is rooted in informed critique and historical experience, not ignorance.

The findings challenge techno-optimist narratives and highlight the need for co-development, transparency, and systems responsive to ecological and social complexity. Mistrust is framed not as absence of trust, but as a productive force for more accountable and sustainable agricultural innovation.

Resource type: article: Web Page

Genome editing outside of controlled facilities: A review of plausible futures and risks

Publication date: 01/01/2026
Vectors for delivering proteins and/or nucleic acids into the cells of whole organisms, from single to multicellular, are rapidly advancing. Common cargos are nucleic acids needed to express the components of a genome editing reaction, or ribonucleoproteins (RNP) that can act immediately upon delivery. In only 20 years, improvements in associated formulation technologies have decreased the dependence of genome editing on the need for a laboratory or trained personnel, allowing for genome editing outside of controlled facilities. As this happens, both target and non-target organisms may be exposed to active biological agents, necessitating a new framework for risk assessment. Some scientists deny developments for gene editing in uncontrolled environments, leading to scientifically unjustified dismissals of risk.
Resource type: article: Web Page

Ensuring effective removal of transgenes before release of genome-edited crops

Publication date: 14/10/2025

Genome editing technology is evolving fast, and many labs worldwide are generating crop plants with improved traits. If transgenes were used to generate the edits, foreign DNA must be effectively removed by outcrossing. After an evaluation of various technologies, we show that long-read whole-genome sequencing (WGS) is at present the only reliable approach to confirm the absence of foreign DNA. We suggest using long-read WGS before requesting exemption from classification as genetically modified organisms and provide a guide for interpreting WGS data.

Resource type: article: Web Page

Agroecological sustainability: exploring the intersection of digital agriculture, ethics and the right to food

Publication date: 17/06/2025

The paper examines the impact of modern agricultural practices on environmental sustainability, focusing on the ethical-legal dilemmas of digital agriculture and its role in the agroecological transition. The paper advocates for an alternative: local and solidarity-based digital agriculture, a model that aligns digital innovation with agroecological practices and human rights principles, empowering small-scale farmers and enhancing food sovereignty. The research concludes that a balanced integration of technology and agroecological practices rooted in human rights is crucial to advancing a sustainable and equitable food system. However, further empirical research is necessary to evaluate the implementation of such local and solidarity-based digital agriculture models across diverse contexts.

Resource type: article: Web Page

Agroecology and Digitalisation: Traps and Opportunities to Transform the Food System

Publication date: 01/06/2025

This IFOAM report explains why digitalization should not be conceived only as a technological fix to the current input-intensive agriculture model, aimed at alleviating marginally some of its destructive impacts while increasing corporate control and further disempowering farmers. Issues of control and ownership of data are by now well-identified in the public discussion, and digitalization and agroecology sometimes appear in the debate as two dominating and conflicting narratives on what the future of agriculture should be.

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Suitability of Real-Time PCR Methods for New Genomic Technique Detection in the Context of the European Regulations: A Case Study in Arabidopsis

Publication date: 02/04/2025

PCR methods are widely applied for the detection of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) in Europe, facilitating compliance with stringent regulatory requirements and enabling the accurate identification and quantification of genetically modified traits in various crops and foodstuffs. This manuscript investigates the suitability of real-time PCR methods for detecting organisms generated through new genomic techniques (NGTs), specifically focusing on a case study using Arabidopsis thaliana as a model gene-edited plant. The results demonstrate that while the grf1-3 LNA method successfully detected and quantified gene-edited Arabidopsis DNA, achieving absolute specificity remains a challenge. This study also addresses the significance of the cross-laboratory method for validation, demonstrating that the method developed for an SNP-modified allele can be performed in accordance with the precision and trueness criteria established by the European Network of GMO Laboratories (ENGL). Furthermore, we call for continued collaboration among regulatory agencies, academia, and industry stakeholders to refine detection strategies. This proactive approach is essential not only for regulatory compliance but also for maintaining public trust in the safe integration of gene-edited organisms into food products.

Resource type: article: Web Page

Robots in agriculture – A case-based discussion of ethical concerns on job loss, responsibility, and data control

Publication date: 01/12/2024
There is a growing interest in using robots in agriculture due to increasing challenges of labour scarcity and cost. Field robots are expected to help overcome these challenges and to contribute to financial, environmental and social sustainability. However, socially responsible introduction of field crop robots will require awareness and consideration of ethical trade-offs by stakeholders including farmers, regulators, and manufacturers. In this article we discuss the ethical themes of job loss, moral responsibility, and data control in light of the results of sixteen interviews with key stakeholders conducted in 2022 under a European research project named Robs4crops.
Resource type: article: Web Page

The Gene Editing Business: Rent Extraction in the Biotech Industry

Publication date: 24/10/2024

This article analyses the mechanisms governing the extraction, circulation, and distribution of rent in the biotech industry. Building on recent scholarship, it contributes to debates surrounding the importance of rent in technoscientific capitalism. It analyses genome editing as a global labour process. It interrogates how CRISPR technologies cement and expand neocolonial geographies of rent extraction, privatising the economic benefits and socialising the ecological risks. It argues that an increasingly monopolistic corporate biopower mediates how genome editing technologies are developed, and which mutant ecologies are socially produced.

Resource type: article: Web Page