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Building upon initial consultations held in summer 2024, Canada’s Competition Bureau seeks public comments on new guidelines regarding environmental claims. Interested stakeholders have until February 28, 2025, to send their comments.

This report describes the agricultural biotechnology sector in Portugal, covering production and trade, policy, and marketing aspects. It includes topics related to plant, animal, and microbial biotechnology.

The New Zealand government has introduced the Gene Technology Bill 2024, aiming to establish a modern regulatory framework for gene technology and genetically modified organisms (GMOs).

On December 31, 2024, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs (MARA) announced the issuance of new and renewed biosafety certificates for genetically engineered (GE) events.

The COVID 19 pandemic in Malaysia saw most government agencies operating at minimum staffing with most working from home throughout 2020 and 2021. This has severely impacted the number of GE events approved by the National Biosafety Board (NBB).

Sri Lanka does not produce genetically engineered (GE) crops or animals. Some GE research, however, occurs at the laboratory level, but that research does not reach commercialization.

India remains undecided on genetically engineered (GE) crops, despite its regulatory authorities clearing on the environmental release of GE eggplant and mustard events. Bt cotton (Bacillus thuringiensis) is the only biotech crop approved for commercial cultivation.

On November 17, 2021, the European Commission published a proposal for legislation aimed at preventing products causing deforestation or forest degradation from entering the EU market.

Hungary is one of the strongest opponents of agricultural biotechnology in the European Union. Maintaining the country’s GE-free status is still a government priority.

Korea is in the process of revising its existing Living Modified Organism (LMO) Act to cover products of innovative biotechnologies, including genome edited products.

There are no significant changes to the agricultural biotechnology situation in the Czech Republic in 2021. The country generally maintains a scientific approach towards biotechnology.

Public rejection of genetically engineered (GE) plants in Germany is widespread. There is no commercial GE crop production and practically no foods labeled as containing “genetically modified organisms” (“GMO”) on the market.