Defra’s public consultation on gene editing means the UK may be on the brink of having access to plant breeding technology that could revolutionise farming. However, if regulations for gene editing are relaxed, there will be many hurdles for the industry to overcome. Foremost is whether consumers are willing to eat gene-edited food, but there are also concerns over the impact on biodiversity and whether farmers will have even less access to genetic diversity. The technology undoubtedly presents opportunities too, including crops with better weather resilience, higher yields or improved resistance to diseases. In this episode of Crop It Like It’s Hot, Alice Dyer gets all of your questions answered on what gene editing could really mean for the arable sector. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.