Macra said that the European Parliament's adoption of new rules on new genomic techniques (NGTs) will offer an "additional tool" to young farmers.

The European Parliament has adopted a new regulation on NGTs, with the expectation that these new rules will help in "facilitating access to new plants that are climate and pest resistant, give higher yields and require fewer pesticides".

NGTs are ways of manipulating plant genetics to improve sustainability and resilience.

Although the practice is considered scientifically distinct from the more controversial practice of genetic modification, previous EU law does not recognise the distinction, with the new regulations set to change that.

The amended rules for NGTs were provisionally agreed between the European Parliament and Council of the EU in December 2025, and have now been agreed to in full by both bodies and will enter into force soon.

Macra described the adoption of the new regulation as a "positive step towards supporting innovation, sustainability and resilience within European agriculture".

The organisation said the development has the potential to provide farmers with additional tools to address some of the challenges facing food production, including climate change; pest and disease pressures; and the need to improve resource efficiency.

Macra National President Josephine O'Neill said: "The challenges faced by young farmers producing food are ever evolving. To respond to these issues, young farmers will require access to a suite of measures.

"The adoption of the new rules governing NGTs represents an additional tool available to us, allowing us to eventually choose crop varieties better adapted to future conditions," O'Neill added.

Macra said that young farmers are increasingly expected to produce more food while simultaneously reducing emissions, improving biodiversity outcomes and adapting to changing climatic conditions.

The organisation said innovation and research will "play a critical role in helping farmers meet these challenges while maintaining farm viability".

Macra said that the adoption of NGTs are not a standalone solution to the challenges facing agriculture, but rather "one additional tool within a broader innovation toolbox".

This toolbox, Macra said, should include research, advisory services, digital technologies, sustainable farming practices and a strong Common Agricultural Policy (CAP).

The organisation said the adoption of the new rules on NGTs "demonstrates the importance of science-led policymaking".

Macra said it welcomed the "recognition that innovation will be required to achieve the ambitious environmental, climate and food production objectives facing European agriculture in the years ahead".