National Sorghum Producers comments on USDA biotechnology 340 final rule

The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced on May 14 its final rule on plant biotechnology regulations that will revise decades old regulations regarding the development of certain genetically engineered organisms. National Sorghum Producers CEO Tim Lust released the following statement in response:

“We are pleased USDA has moved forward with the rulemaking process, following earlier guidelines to include new plant breeding technologies like gene editing and technologies like CRISPR. Plant breeding innovations are vital to sorghum producers and will play a fundamental role in our ability to produce more with fewer inputs and to compete in the global marketplace. By utilizing new techniques, products can be developed more efficiently, saving valuable time and resources.

“USDA’s approach is commensurate with the broadly acknowledged low-risk and substantial benefits associated with these breeding innovations. We are hopeful that EPA will follow USDA’s lead so the improvements in pest and disease resistance can also be achieved through these techniques without an expansion of an unnecessary regulatory burden.”