Gene editing gathers momentum with field trials and new approval

Field trials of a gene-edited barley crop designed to improve livestock feed efficiency and cut methane emissions are now under way on farms in England.

Developed by scientists at Rothamsted Research, the barley is the first crop to receive a precision bred organism (PBO) marketing notice under the UK’s new regulatory framework.

The approval confirms it meets the criteria set out in the Genetic Technology (Precision Breeding) Act 2023 and associated 2025 regulations, allowing further field evaluation and potential future commercial use.

See also: £2.5m farm project marks first precision-bred OSR in Europe

The crop has been produced using CRISPR (clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats) gene-editing techniques to increase lipid levels in plant tissue, creating a higher-energy forage for ruminant livestock such as cattle and sheep.

Researchers say this could help animals gain more energy from the same feed, while potentially lowering methane emissions during digestion.

Peter Eastmond, who led the research, says: “Higher-energy feed can improve livestock productivity and offers a promising route to reducing methane emissions from ruminant agriculture.”

The genetic changes involve small edits that could also occur naturally or through conventional breeding, following review by the Advisory Committee on Releases to the Environment.

On-farm trials

For farmers involved in the field trials, the focus is on whether these laboratory results translate into practical benefits in practice.

The barley is being tested through the Platform to Rate Organisms Bred for Improved Trait and Yield  (Probity) initiative, led by the British On-Farm Innovation Network (Bofin) and funded by Defra.

Trial plots covering about 3ha have been planted across two East Midlands farms, alongside a smaller area at Rothamsted, over the Easter bank holiday weekend.

The crop is grown under strict conditions and will not enter the food or feed chain. Instead, it will be composted after harvest.

 Bofin managing director Tom Allen-Stevens says: “It’s a momentous occasion. This is the first time in Europe that this has ever happened.

“It has been a bit of a holy grail for forage to find a high energy, high lipid value in the leaves.”

Farmers involved have implemented buffer zones and control plots to prevent any crossover with standard barley destined for the food chain.

The crop will be harvested before full maturity and ensiled, with samples taken to assess lipid content over the autumn and winter months.

“This is the first time it’s going to be ensiled, in a normal, commercial aspect,” Tom adds.

“The lab can tell you only so much. You also need the field trials to tell you whether it actually works in practice.”

Initial performance results are expected by spring 2027, with further trials planned.

Wheat development

Scientists at Rothamsted Research have also developed wheat with significantly less asparagine using gene editing, without affecting yield, providing a safer food production method and regulatory compliance.

Two years of field trials show that CRISPR-edited wheat can reduce free asparagine, which can form the toxic compound acrylamide during baking and frying.

Prof Nigel Halford from Rothamsted Research, who led the study, says that low-acrylamide wheat helps food businesses meet safety standards without compromising quality or increasing costs, and reduces consumer exposure to acrylamide.

The findings are particularly timely as regulatory pressure on acrylamide intensifies.

Current EU legislation (Regulation (EU) 2017/2158) sets benchmark levels for acrylamide in food, with new maximum levels expected from the EU Commission this year.

These regulations will impact food producers across Europe and international trading partners, including the UK.