New Technologies
USDA supports the safe and appropriate use of science and technology, including biotechnology, to help meet agricultural challenges and consumer needs of the 21st century. USDA plays a key role in assuring that products produced using biotechnology are safe to be grown and used in the United States. Once these products enter commerce, USDA supports bringing these and other products to the worldwide marketplace.
Resources
To address challenges arising from disparities in how biotechnology is regulated around the world, the United States and other nations have endorsed the following statements:
- International Statement on Agricultural applications of Precision Biotechnology (November 2018)
- Principles, Criteria and Practical Approaches for Addressing LLP in International Food and Feed Trade of Plant Materials (July 2017)
- Joint Statement on Innovative Agricultural Production Technologies, Particularly Plant Biotechnologies (April 2013)
- International Statement on Low-Level Presence (March 2012)
- International Joint Statement on Animal Cloning for Livestock Production (March 2011)
Data and Analysis
The Australian federal government is supportive of biotechnology and has committed considerable long-term funding to research and development. The Australian Productivity Commission recently completed an inquiry into the regulatory burden on farm businesses focusing on regulations that have a material impact on the competitiveness and productivity of Australian agriculture, including the impact of regulations for genetically engineered (GE) products.
On April 29, 2021, the European Commission published a report titled, “Study on the status of new genomic techniques under Union law and in light of the Court of Justice ruling in Case C-528/16.”
On April 20, Japan's Ministry of Agriculture amended the handling procedures for feed and feed additive products derived from the crossbreeding of genome edited varieties.
News and Features
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack spoke about climate, sustainability, conservation, innovation, technology, research, and related issues at the Brussels-based Forum for the Future of Agriculture on March 21, 2021.
November 2, 2020
Economic and Food Security Impacts of EU Farm to Fork Strategy
On November 2, 2020, USDA's Economic Research Service released a report looking at the potential economic and related impacts of the European Commission’s proposed Farm to Fork and Biodiversity strategies. Economic and Food Security Impacts of...
Secretary Perdue: China Phase I Deal is a Bonanza for American Agriculture