US Agriculture Secretary Ann M. Veneman has announced the US Department of Agriculture’s intention to update and strengthen its biotechnology regulations for the importation, interstate movement and environmental release of certain genetically engineered (GE) organisms.
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“The science of biotechnology is continually evolving, so we must ensure that our regulatory framework remains robust by anticipating and keeping pace with those changes,” Veneman said. “A comprehensive environmental impact statement is the critical first step in the process. Our regulatory system must be both rigorous and flexible and based on sound science principles and mitigation of risks.”
The USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) is to prepare an environmental impact statement evaluating its biotechnology regulations and several possible regulation changes. Any proposed changes to the regulations will be science and risk-based, the USDA said.
The National Food Processors Association (NFPA) welcomed the announcement.
“The initiatives announced by APHIS will help to ensure that the Agency’s regulations keep pace with advances in agricultural biotechnology. A thorough pre-market review – which NFPA has urged APHIS to institute – will help to provide further assurances of the safety of new agricultural biotechnology applications,” said Dr. Jeffrey Barach, vice president of special projects for the NFPA.
