After years of conflicting public statements and legislation restricting genetic engineering, Russia appears poised to embrace new breeding technologies for medicine and agriculture. A decree signed into law in 2020 authorized Rosneft, the Russian Oil Company, to oversee government efforts to accelerate the development of genetic technologies, including gene editing, and to create scientific-technological capacities in the fields of medicine (creation of vaccines), agriculture (creation of plant and animal lines) and industry (immunology and microbiology).
There is no timetable for when or if Russia might formally legalize crop gene editing beyon its use for research purposes. The timetable is in part linked to global politics, particularly its relation to the United States and Europe.
As recently as 2020, Vladimir Putin signed into law the Food Security Doctrine, which banned import and distribution of GMOs for planting, and prohibited raising and breeding animals whose genetic code has been engineered. The only exception is the import and planting/breeding of GM crops for research purposes. It also allows for import of some GMO foods (like soybeans) for consumption.
According to a federal program announced in 2019, some gene edited crops are exempt from a 2016 law that banned the cultivation of GMOs except for research purposes. The decree establishing the program described gene editing as equivalent to conventional breeding methods, the view adopted by most of the world except for the European Union. The decree listed four crops — barley, sugar beet, wheat and potatoes — as priorities for development. Russia said it was committed to creating almost 30 new varieties of gene-edited crops and animals by 2027 at an estimated cost 111-billion-rouble (US$1.7-billion), but there is no indication they’ve yet developed any.
In 2017 a government decree banned the “cultivation of genetically engineered plants and breeding of genetically engineered animals on the territory of the Russian Federation.” At the time, Russia’s agricultural sector was under producing, and concerns mounted in Moscow that it was becoming too dependent on seeds produced by big US biotechnology firms like Monsanto.
Plants developed through biotechnology are regulated by three organizations: The Federal Service for Surveillance of Consumer Rights Protection and Human Welfare (Rospotrebnadzor) is responsible for developing legislation on genetically engineered food products and monitoring the influence of genetically engineered crops and products on people and the environment; The Ministry of Agriculture develops policy for the use of genetically engineered crops and organisms in agriculture; The Federal Service for Veterinary and Phytosanitary Surveillance (VPSS) is responsible for overseeing genetically engineered crops for feed.
Russia is part of the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU), which consists of Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russian Federation, Eurasian Economic Union Organization, and Eurasian Economic Commission. The EAEU developed mandatory technical regulations that require marking the presence of GMOs on labels and informing consumers in cases when food products are processed with the use of a GMO. As of 2020, products in the EAEU are marked with the sign “GMO” if genetically modified organisms are used in production.
Products/Research
- Disease-resistant potato and sugar beet: Russian Academy of Sciences (RAS) institutes are developing disease-resistant varieties of potatoes and sugar beet.
- Barley and wheat research: Vavilov Research Institute of Plant Industry and the RAS Institute of Cytology and Genetics are using gene editing to study how to make barley and wheat easier to process and more nutritious.
Regulatory Timeline
2020: Decree #481 unites the Russian government and Russian Oil company Rosneft in accelerating the creation of genetic technologies in medicine and agriculture.
2020: Food Security Doctrine bans import and distribution of genetically engineered organisms for planting, and prohibits raising and breeding animals whose genetic code has been engineered. The only exception to the ban is the import and planting/breeding of GMOs for research purposes.
2019: Federal gene editing program aims to create 10 new varieties of gene-edited crops and animals by 2020 and another 20 by 2027 at an estimated cost 111-billion-rouble (US$1.7-billion). The decree announcing the program describes gene editing technologies as equivalent to conventional breeding methods.
2017: Russian Federation issues Resolution No. 770, On Amending the Resolution of the Government of the Russian Federation No. 839, implementing Federal Law No 358, which bans cultivation of genetically engineered plants and amends Russia’s framework of rules for the registration of genetically engineered plants and products.
2016: Federal Law No. 358-Z bans cultivation of genetically modified plants and the import of GE seeds, except for research purposes. The law formalizes the previous de-facto ban resulting from the lack of a regulatory framework. It defines GMOs as seeds developed with gene modifications “that cannot result from natural processes.”
2013: Regulations require mandatory labeling for processed food products containing GMOs.
2011: Technical Regulations require food labeling, including on GMO oil and fat products, bans the use of GMOs in baby food and in food for pregnant and nursing women.
1996: Federal Law No. 86-FZ, the foundational federal legislation on genetic engineering in Russia, establishes state control over the release of GMOs into the environment and monitoring their effects on the environment and on human health.
NGO Reaction
Irina Ermakova, biologist and vice president of the Academy of Geopolitical Problems and a leading critic of genetic engineering, claims that the introduction of alien genes, such as using genetic material from bacteria or fish to change the characteristics of grains or fruits, is dangerous, unpredictable, and could be causing long-term health problems.
NGOs, including Greenpeace Russia and the Alliance of the Commonwealth of Independent States for Biosafety, campaign against agricultural genetic engineering, including gene editing, in an attempt to influence consumer choices. According to Russia Today, about 80 percent of Russians oppose legalization of GMOs. As of 2017, over ten years, the proportion of food with genetically modified ingredients declined from 12% to just 0.01%.
During the 2016 election cycle, Russia was linked to orchestrating an anti-biotechnology propaganda effort aimed at the United States. That led to a 2018 Iowa State University study that found that the two most popular English language Russian sites, RT (Russia Today) and Sputnik, produced more articles containing the word “GMO” than five other news organizations combined: Huffington Post, Fox News, CNN, Breitbart News and MSNBC. Almost all of it was sharply critical, highlighting the alleged health dangers from GMOs. The researchers also found RT and Sputnik used “GMO click bait” embedded in articles that most people would consider “negative or distasteful” to create an intentional negative reaction. Some of Russia’s propaganda was disseminated by liberal media, including Dr. Oz and Huffington Post.
Additional Resources
Updated: 09-12-2023