Seed TV - Precision breeding, patents and the future of seed: understanding the UK’s new genetic technology regime

Join us for our latest edition of Seed TV, where Pat Thomas from Beyond GM will be exploring the UK’s rapidly changing legal and policy landscape for gene-edited – or so-called “precision bred” – plants and seeds.

What exactly counts as a precision bred organism under the Genetic Technology Act and Regulations? How does the new system differ from existing GMO regulation? And what does it mean in practice for seed producers, breeders and the wider food system?

Pat will unpack the definitions and regulatory framework, examine the implications for seed labelling, traceability and ownership/patents, and explain the significance of Beyond GM’s recent successful High Court challenge to the Genetic Technology (Precision Breeding) Regulations 2025. She will also consider what may change next, including the implications of the developing EU regulatory regime, and where there are opportunities for political, legal and public engagement.

The session will be accessible to those coming to the subject for the first time, while providing enough detail for those already working on seed policy, genetic technologies and farmers’ rights. There will be plenty of time for questions and discussion.

About the speaker 

Pat Thomas is Director of Beyond GM, a UK civil society organisation working on genetic engineering in food and farming, and co-founder of A Bigger Conversation, which promotes informed and inclusive public dialogue about agricultural technologies. A former editor of The Ecologist, she has worked for more than three decades as a journalist, author, researcher and campaigner on food, farming, health and environmental issues. She has been closely involved in UK policy debates around genetic technologies and was lead claimant in Beyond GM’s successful 2026 High Court challenge to the Genetic Technology (Precision Breeding) Regulations.