The National Corn Growers Association praised the announcement made last week by Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue publicly stating that the U.S. Department of Agriculture “does not regulate or have plans to regulate plants that could otherwise have been developed through traditional breeding techniques as long as they are not plant pests or developed using plant pests.”
This announcement shows the dedication of the USDA to develop common-sense regulatory solutions which are strongly based in science. By recognizing the way in which new technologies work and creating processes that ensure safety, our government allows farmers access to the tools necessary to combat ever-changing field conditions and improve the health of their crop.
We are pleased to see our government strive to unencumber the economy from the chains of costly, unnecessary over-regulation. By taking this stance, the USDA has put our government in a leadership position on how this technology can be accepted across agencies and countries.