Fields of conflict: How are new breeding techniques shaping agricultural discourse and rural land use in the UK and in Germany?

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Plant and animal breeding are very controversial topics. In recent decades, intensive conflicts have arisen over the cultivation of genetically modified plants and the breeding of genetically modified animals. In recent years, the debate has been broadened by the development of new molecular biology techniques, e.g. genome editing, that have the potential to revolutionize biotechnology. Possible applications in agriculture include the development of climate-adapted and disease-resistant plants or animals better adapted to production processes. At the end of July 2018, the European Court of Justice ruled that organisms produced by using these new techniques should be regulated as genetically modified organisms in the European Union. Specific regulations by the member states are still pending. This proposed research project explores the commonalities and differences between the UK and Germany regarding the use of the new techniques in agriculture, in the context Britain's forthcoming exit from the European Union. Particular attention is given to rural areas – the areas where most agriculture takes place and where the plants and animals produced by genome editing could potentially be used. The research project is embedded in my ongoing research over several years on the relationship between agricultural technology and rural land-use transformation.