US agritech firm Cibus is participating as a technology partner in a UK Government funded research and development project backed by the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra), examining the application of gene editing techniques for crop improvement.
The project falls under the UK Government’s Farming Innovation Programme, through which Defra supports mid-stage precision breeding research aimed at improving the resilience and productivity of UK agriculture. As part of the initiative, Cibus will contribute gene editing expertise to a research effort focused on developing more sustainable approaches to protecting oilseed rape from light leaf spot disease.
We are excited to be chosen for this critical program and to support the UK’s vision for a more resilient agricultural sector. By integrating our precision breeding technology with the world-class research at the John Innes Centre and the University of Hertfordshire, the project aims to provide a vital tool for farmers.
Tony Moran, Senior Vice President of International Development at Cibus, said the company’s Rapid Trait Development System (RTDS) allows precise gene edits in elite oilseed rape breeding lines, reducing the time required to introduce new traits. He added that the project’s significance extends beyond technical advances, with a focus on helping farmers manage an increasingly challenging disease threat and supporting the long-term viability of oilseed rape as a key break crop in the UK.
Funding under Defra’s Farming Innovation Programme, delivered in partnership with Innovate UK, is intended to support research-industry collaborations using precision breeding techniques to develop more sustainable crops and improve farm productivity. The programme includes at least £21.5 million in funding for 15 innovation projects across England and Wales, aimed at reducing emissions, strengthening farm resilience, and supporting agricultural productivity.
Applying Precision Breeding Within Regulation
The project is aligned with the UK’s Genetic Technology (Precision Breeding) Act 2023, which provides the regulatory framework for the development of gene edited crops in England. Cibus’s involvement reflects the application of its gene editing technologies within this framework, focused on the development of productivity enhancing and disease resistant crop traits for the seed sector.
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The LLS-ERASED (Light Leaf Spot Enhancing Resistance and Reducing Susceptibility with Editing) project is focused on addressing light leaf spot, the most damaging disease affecting oilseed rape in the UK, which resulted in an estimated £300 million in losses in 2022. The project brings together a consortium of 12 academic and industry partners, including Cibus, to use gene-editing approaches that reduce crop susceptibility by targeting specific genes.
I am excited to be working with Cibus to develop material with reduced susceptibility to light leaf spot disease in an elite agronomic background. To get our genetics from research to out on farm will be a major achievement and an excellent example for future improvement of target traits.
Tom Allen-Stevens, project lead at the British On-Farm Innovation Network (BOFIN), said the lab-to-farm approach of the LLS-ERASED project is a central feature of the work. He added that a wider aim is to establish a model that could be applied to future precision-bred traits, including resistance to other diseases and pests such as cabbage stem flea beetle.
If successful, the initiative could support the development of high yielding oilseed rape varieties with broader disease resistance and represent an early application of precision-bred oilseed rape for UK growers.
From Policy Framework to Field
The LLS-ERASED project offers a window into how the UK government is testing the practical implications of its evolving stance on gene editing in agriculture. Supported by Defra under the Farming Innovation Programme, the initiative sits at a stage where technical promise is being assessed alongside regulatory fit, delivery timelines, and on-farm relevance. Rather than signalling immediate commercial outcomes, the project appears designed to probe whether precision breeding can be integrated into existing research, seed development, and policy structures.
Light leaf spot remains a persistent challenge for oilseed rape growers, shaping both yield expectations and longer term cropping strategies. By focusing on reduced susceptibility rather than complete resistance, the research may help clarify how gene editing tools perform under real disease pressure and variable field conditions. The consortium approach suggests an attempt to balance scientific exploration with agronomic practicality.
Cibus’s participation places proprietary gene-editing methods within the framework created by the Genetic Technology (Precision Breeding) Act 2023. How effectively such tools move from research settings into farm use may influence future decisions on funding priorities, regulatory processes, and the broader role of precision breeding in UK crop improvement.
