Transgenic acreage grows amid changing regulation

too expensive for the smaller market crops,” says Kent Bradford, director of the Seed Biotechnology Center at UC Davis. Many of these (primarily horticultural) crops require dozens of varieties to match growing seasons and market preferences. U.S. regulations stipulate that a GE version of each variety must be registered separately. Alternatively, a single GE version may be registered and then the trait can be crossed into each of the varieties, but this is also time-consuming and expensive, Bradford says. “By contrast, Canadian regulations focus on the safety and impact of the trait itself rather than on where it came from,” Bradford notes. “No distinction is made between genetic engineering and conventional breeding in evaluating whether a novel trait may be introduced into the marketplace.” USDA to revise rules. On Jan. 22, the USDA announced plans to update and strengthen U.S. biotechnology regulations, which cover the importation, interstate movement and environmental release of GE organisms. “The science of biotechnology is continually evolving, so we must ensure that our regulatory framework remains robust by anticipating and keeping pace with those changes,” U.S. Agriculture Secretary Ann Veneman said. Since 1987, more than 10,000 GE organisms have been field-tested and more than 60 have been “deregulated.” Currently, GE crops are no longer regulated once they have been approved for commercial production. The move to update U.S. regulations coincided with the release of a National Research Council report on “bioconfinement” (see box, page 73). USDA sponsored the report because a number of GE organisms (such as transgenic fish) now exist that had not yet been developed when the current biotechnology regulations were established in 1986. The proposed regulatory changes would include a requirement for ongoing monitoring of GE organisms after deregulation, and the development of a multitiered permitting system that both streamlines the approval of crops for commercial production and provides more oversight for the riskiest GE organisms. Mendocino County ban. On March 2, Mendocino County passed Measure H with 56% of the vote, making it the first county nationwide to ban growing GE plants and animals. The measure’s supporters included the owners of an organic brewpub in Ukiah, who wanted to protect the county’s organic produce industry from genetic contamination. Organic producers are prohibited from using GE organisms or ingredients. Transgenic acreage grows amid changing regulation A in genetically engineered (GE) crops has increased steadily since their introduction in 1996, to 167 million acres worldwide in 2003. However, these crops remain controversial: advocates say they will help people and the environment but opponents fear they will hurt both. Regulations for producing, trading and labeling GE organisms are still evolving at the international, national and even local levels. Most recently, on March 2 California’s Mendocino County became the first in the nation to ban production of GE plants and animals. “New technology needs to be reviewed case-bycase until we’re comfortable with it,” says Norman Ellstrand, a UC Riverside geneticist and director of the UC Biotechnology Impacts Center. Virtually all commercial GE crops are either herbicide-tolerant or pest-resistant. The United States is the largest producer of the 18 countries that grow GE crops, followed by Argentina, Canada and China. In 2003, significant portions of the worldwide harvest in four commodities were genetically engineered: 55% of soybeans, 21% of cotton, 16% of canola and 11% of corn, according to a 2003 report by ISAAA (International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-biotech Applications).