APHIS Issues Regulatory Status Review Responses: University of Florida and Bioceres Crop Solutions
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:
- University of Florida, two submissions, a sweet orange and a grapefruit with disease tolerance to citrus greening, also called Huanglongbing (HLB).
- Bioceres Crop Solutions, wheat with drought tolerance and herbicide 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, this modified plant may be safely grown and bred in the United States.