APHIS Issues Regulatory Status Review Responses
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) recently reviewed the following plants modified using genetic engineering to determine whether they posed an increased plant pest risk as relative to non-modified comparators:
- Pioneer, corn with insect and herbicide resistance.
- CoverCress, pennycress with altered product quality.
- Qi-Biodesign, soybean with altered product quality.
- Michigan State University, two potato plants with disease (potato late blight and potato virus Y) resistance.
APHIS found these modified plants were unlikely to pose an increased plant pest risk compared to other cultivated plants. As a result, they are not subject to regulation under 7 CFR part 340. From a plant pest risk perspective, these modified plants may be safely grown and bred in the United States.