The Use of Genetic Modification of Plants for Carbon Sequestration

Part of 2. Questions to the Minister for Rural Affairs and North Wales, and Trefnydd – in the Senedd at 2:40 pm on 18 January 2023.

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Photo of Joel James Joel James Conservative 2:40, 18 January 2023

Thank you, Minister. Whilst I acknowledge this Government's cautionary approach to genetic engineering, I believe that it is shortsighted to ignore the fact that this technology has the potential to solve many of the problems that we are currently facing. I also believe that there is considerable potential for the genetic modification of certain plants, that will not enter the food chain, to help Wales meet its climate change target.

There's been considerable scientific study into the genetic engineering of plants, which has shown that gene editing can be used in native tree species to allow them to grow faster, to become more drought-resistant, more tolerant to temperature extremes and become disease-resistant, and I believe that this would not only help with sequestration of carbon in Wales, particularly in carbon sinking, but also help the Welsh Government combat plant diseases, and speed up the growth of trees using the Welsh timber trade for construction. Moreover, it has been shown that microalgae cultivation uses CO2 from industrial settings, such as power stations and factories, and can provide an environmentally friendly approach to reducing CO2, and the use of strains that have been genetically modified by biomass productivity could provide enormous benefits to these. With this in mind, I would, therefore, like to know, Minister, what evidence would this Government need to see in order to allow the use of genetically modified plants that will not enter the food chain to be used in Wales for carbon sequestration? Thank you.