Assesing safety-by-design in novel plant breeding techniques by comparing native gene based modification with classical breeding

Novel plant breeding techniques (NBPTs) enable a wealth of approaches to tailor crop plants to the farmers’ and consumers’ wishes. Current uncertainties about the safety of NPBTs and the resulting new plant varieties cause a lock–up in the processes leading to appropriate regulation. It is clear that frameworks for safety assessment and scaling risk levels are required. In this proposal we address the situation from two sides by taking late blight resistance genes from potato as an empirical model. From the NPBT side, we will strive for a safety-by-design strategy by making an a priori limitation in the choice of genes and type of modification. From the safety side we will test the validity of this approach and assumptions. Therefore, we design protocols to check for unintended mutagenic effects. Also, a new environmental (including food and feed)-safety assessment methodology, will be developed. These protocols and methods will be tested and optimised on different types of NBPT events and classically bred potato varieties.