Extension of the Moratorium on Genetic Engineering: A Step into the Future or a Block on Innovation?

The Council of States voted on Thursday, 5 June 2025, to extend the moratorium by five years.

The upper chamber reached its decision in the final vote without any dissenting votes, with two abstentions. The National Council had already approved the extension of the moratorium by a clear majority during the spring session.

The current moratorium remains in force until the end of this year. The proposal was drawn up by the National Council's Committee on Science, Education and Culture (WBK-N) on the basis of a parliamentary initiative. It had originally sought an extension of the moratorium until the end of 2027.

The Federal Council, however, argued in favour of a longer period of five years, to which both chambers have now agreed.

Lively Debate on New Technologies

As in the National Council, a minority of the Council of States' Committee on Science, Education and Culture (WBK-S) called even now for a distinction to be drawn between classical genetic engineering and new methods.

They called for a special regulation for plants bred using new methods that have not had any transgenic genetic material inserted into them. For these, the moratorium should apply only until the end of 2027.

As in the National Council, this motion also sparked a lively debate in the upper chamber: there had now been a technology ban for around 20 years, which was not desirable. «With these new breeding technologies, we obtain a result that also occurs in nature,» said Matthias Michel (FDP/ZG) in the chamber.

The new technologies could help agriculture and reduce environmental impacts. Hundreds of tonnes of unpopular, harmful substances could thus become redundant. By distinguishing between genetic engineering and the new methods, Parliament could set a political signal, Michel further explained.

«What we have here is a complete innovation blockade», said Andrea Gmür-Schönenberger (Centre/LU). Nor was this a snap decision. The arguments repeatedly put forward in favour of extending the moratorium were «hostile to research», said Hannes Germann (SVP/SH). Switzerland was, after all, «the country with the most innovations worldwide».

Scepticism remains

The Centre Party in particular appeared divided over the minority commission's proposal: «Trust is a precious commodity», said Peter Hegglin (Centre/ZG). Marketing Swiss food products as GMO-free is working.

«If we now relax things here or shorten the deadline, thereby creating a gap until the new law comes into force, we are putting consumer trust at risk», argued Hegglin. The consequences could not be assessed. One must proceed carefully and with caution here. «This is not a question of patience, but of credibility», said Charles Juillard (Centre/JU).

Furthermore, research into new breeding technologies is already permitted in Switzerland and considerable financial resources are flowing into it, Maya Graf (Greens/BL) pointed out.

«The fact is, however, that these laboratory plants do not deliver what is expected of them when released», Graf further explained. There are only around five to ten plant species approved for commercial use. What is released into the environment cannot be taken back. It is also important, she added, to «keep in step with the EU agricultural agreement».

At the end of the deliberations, the Council sided with the majority of the WBK-S by a clear margin of 27 votes to 14, also subjecting the new breeding methods to the moratorium extended by five years.

More room for manoeuvre for Parliament

Environment Minister Albert Rösti also agreed with this outcome. «You do need to engage with the facts of genetic engineering. Conventional transgenesis has not delivered what was promised», said the Federal Councillor.

It was therefore absolutely right that parliament had extended the moratorium several times. «The conditions simply were not there — you can see that worldwide too.» What constitutes genetic engineering and what does not must be defined in law. «We only lose trust once on these issues,» warned Rösti. The extension of the moratorium creates legal certainty.

In the first quarter of 2026, the Federal Council intends to submit the proposal on new breeding technologies to parliament. The consultation process has been opened. As early as October 2023, the Federal Council had announced that it was aiming for a cautious opening in the longer term.

With the extension decided on Thursday, parliament has more room to take developments in the EU into account in the new legislation. A majority of EU member states had voted in March of the current year in favour of less stringent genetic engineering regulations. Their representatives approved a corresponding compromise. The proposal still needs to be endorsed by the European Parliament.

Associations opposed to genetic engineering welcome the decision

The Swiss Alliance for a GMO-Free Switzerland described the moratorium extension decided on Thursday as a «success with a bitter aftertaste,» as it announced. The Federal Council wishes to exempt new genetic engineering procedures from the moratorium as soon as possible. The Alliance rejects this.

The five-year extension of the moratorium is good news, the Association for GMO-Free Food also announced. It is, however, troubling that the Federal Council is currently making preparations to circumvent the moratorium in future and «introduce the new genetic engineering through the back door.»