The following article is from the NAFB News Service:
The Department of Agriculture says rules governing regulatory reviews of genetically modified crops will be changed to speed the process. The goal is to cut by half the time needed to approve biotech crops from the current average of three years. Approvals that took six months in the 1990s have lengthened because of increased public interest, more legal challenges and the advent of national organic food standards. The changes will take effect when they’re published in the Federal Register, possibly in March.
Steve Censky, chief executive officer of the American Soybean Association says – U.S. farmers worry they may be disadvantaged as countries such as Brazil approve new technologies faster. Faster approvals benefit seed developers by allowing them to profit from new products sooner. Jeff Windau, a St. Louis-based analyst at Edward Jones & Company says – the financial benefit is difficult to estimate until the new rules are in place.
One way USDA plans to speed up approvals is by inviting public comments as soon as seed developers file a complete petition for deregulation of a biotech crop, rather than waiting until the end of the review. That will allow regulators at USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service to address any concerns as they conduct their environmental analysis and risk assessment.
Souce: NAFB News Service
Posted by Haylie Shipp
