A 111-billion-rouble (US$1.7-billion) Russian federal programme aims to create 10 new varieties of gene-edited crops and animals by 2020 — and another 20 by 2027. The programme, which was announced in April, has also attracted interest because it suggests that some gene-edited products will now be exempt from a law passed in 2016 that prohibits the cultivation of genetically modified (GM) organisms in Russia, except for research purposes.
