On May 3, 2023, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) and Agriculture, Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) published updated regulatory guidelines supporting the introduction of gene-edited seeds into the Canadian market.
On April 28, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs (MARA) announced the issuance of new and renewed biosafety certificates for domestic cultivation and production of 113 genetically engineered (GE) events and the first ever biosafety certificate for a gene-edited event.
Attaché Report (GAIN)

United Arab Emirates: Agricultural Biotechnology Annual

Kuwait, Oman, Qatar and the UAE (GCC-4) permit the importation of GE food products of plant origin.
On February 16, 2022, the European Commission launched a four-week call for evidence on an upcoming report that will assess the rationale and legal feasibility of applying EU health and environmental standards to imported agricultural and agri-food products such as animal welfare standards, processes, and production methods.
On January 24 and 25, Cairo witnessed an important forum on climate change between Egypt and the United States within the framework of Egypt serving as the official host of the UN Climate Change Conference (COP27) taking place in November 2022 in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt.
Climate change is an increasing challenge for Austrian agriculture and Austrian agricultural policy. The Austrian government tries to counteract the adverse effects of the climate change through specific climate protection programs and measures.
Attaché Report (GAIN)

China: MARA Issues First Ever Gene-Editing Guidelines

On January 24, 2022, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs (MARA) issued Guidelines for Safety Evaluation of Gene-Edited Plants for Agricultural Use (Trial), which for the first time establish application procedures and requirements for gene-edited plants.