The Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service recently announced exemptions from regulations under the Plant Protection Act for several categories of plants with genetic modification that could be achieved through conventional breeding. The agency also announced that its regulatory status reviews of 12 plants modified using genetic engineering posed no increased plant pest risk compared to other cultivated plants and declared them not subject to regulation under 7 CFR Part 340. In addition, the FDA, EPA and USDA issued a report on stakeholder comments on the Coordinated Framework for the Regulation of Biotechnology, in addition to plain-language information on agency roles, responsibilities and processes.
The following statement may be attributed to Beth Ellikidis, vice president for agriculture and environment at BIO.
“BIO is pleased to see this science-based and risk-proportionate action from USDA-APHIS. We thank the agency for its efforts to decrease the backlog of plants in the regulatory docket and allow innovations to reach farmers and consumers. Opinion research conducted by BIO shows that the public supports updating regulatory processes to allow agricultural biotechnology companies to commercialize innovative products more quickly.
“BIO also thanks the FDA, EPA and USDA for delivering on commitments made in President Biden’s Executive Order on Advancing Biotechnology and Biomanufacturing Innovation. We look forward to seeing continued progress under the executive order to identify regulatory inefficiencies, strengthen confidence in the regulatory process for products of biotechnology, and deliver the innovations needed to ensure food security and address our changing climate.”