Progress Made on U.S. Seed Patented Products Significant progress and alignment was achieved by 27 representatives from the research community and seed industry who met in June to discuss research on commercial, patent-protected seed products and opportunities to improve the process overall. the american Seed trade association and the Biotechnology industry organization were in attendance and helped to bring together the appropriate industry representatives and members of the public sector research community to work toward a more harmonized and transparent approach to collaboration. through this dialogue, both sides were able to gain insight into the others’ concerns, address some misunderstandings and bring a sense of clarity and direction for public sector research with commercial, patent-protected seed products. the collaborative group is exploring plans for the next meeting to foster an ongoing dialogue.
Regulatory Changes Have Slowed Innovation Regulatory changes enacted a decade ago appear to be responsible for dramatically slowing the flow of quality-improving agricultural biotechnology innovations to a mere trickle, reports a team of agricultural economists and biotechnology experts. Findings published in the August issue of the journal Nature Biotechnology, suggest the slowdown may have lasting social welfare costs, such as the delay of nutritional improvements, production efficiencies and environmental protections. “One of the great frustrations in the agricultural biotechnology community has been the failure of many new products with enhanced quality traits such as nutritional content, ripening control and processing attributes to reach consumers and processors,” says gregory graff, an agricultural economist at Colorado State University. “While biotech innovations with on-farm production traits such as insect resistance and herbicide tolerance moved through the research and development pipeline relatively quickly, commercialization of product-quality innovations failed to materialize.”
Comment Period Reopened on BQMS Standards The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health inspection Service is seeking additional public comment on the draft audit standard developed for the Biotechnology Quality management System pilot project. the BQmS is a voluntary compliance assistance program that aims to help stakeholders manage the regulatory requirements for field trials and interstate movement of certain gmos. participants in the BQmS pilot program would use the audit standard to develop and review sound management practices that help enhance compliance with APHIS’ biotechnology regulations for environmental releases, importations and interstate movements of regulated articles. Upon conclusion of the BQmS pilot project, aphiS will consider all comments received during the comment period to revise the draft standard to improve the efficacy of this project.
Puerto Rico Signs Bill to Promote Ag Biotech Puerto Rico hopes to further encourage agricultural biotechnology businesses to establish or expand operations on the island. As part of the effort to enhance Puerto Rico’s agricultural production, Governor Luis Fortuno signed the “Law for the promotion and development of agricultural Biotechnological Businesses in Puerto Rico.” Puerto Rico is currently home to 11 biotech companies, which contribute as much as $30 million to the local economy. ag biotech operations provide full-time employment for 163 of its local citizens, and employ more than a thousand part-time and seasonal workers. Sharon Bomer Lauritsen, Executive Vice-President of Food and Agriculture for the Biotechnology Industry Organization, said, “BIO commends the Puerto Rico Legislative Assembly and Governor Fortuno for their combined leadership and foresight in enacting and signing into law a bill that promotes agricultural biotechnology research and development in the Commonwealth.”
SmartStax Receives Japanese Import Approval monsanto Company and dow agroSciences LLC have received full Japanese regulatory approval for importation of grain produced from SmartStax. the food, feed and environmental safety of SmartStax corn were each reviewed and approved by the government agencies in Japan. these approvals follow U.S. and Canadian regulatory approvals announced by the companies last month. With these approvals, SmartStax can now be produced and planted in the U.S. and Canada and grain can be imported to australia, new zealand and Japan.
EU Urged to get GMOs Moving
tardiness and a policy of absolutely zero tolerance towards gmos are damaging to food supplies in the eU, says eva Kjer Hansen, Danish Food Minister. At a meeting of the Council of ministers held recently she called on the eU Commission to propose a solution. at the meeting, the eU Commission warned that there will soon be a lack of soy and maize crops, which are used for fodder and food production. Kjer hansen believes that the Commission and the Council of ministers should work together to speed up the approval of new gmos, and that the Commission should solve the food industry’s problems arising from the EU’s policy of absolutely zero tolerance with regard to GMOs that are not approved by the EU. “The rigid interpretation of the zero tolerance policy is a technical problem that may have serious economic consequences for food supplies in the whole of the EU,” says Kjer Hansen.
Groups Call on G20 for More Open Trade the oeCd, World trade organization and the UN’s Conference of trade and development have called on the leaders of the g20 countries to make a stronger commitment to open trade and investment. in a combined report on g20 trade and investment measures, angel gurria, Secretary-general of the oeCd, pascal Lamy, director-general of the Wto, and Supachai panitchpakdi,
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