Biotech Updates

Scientific Criteria Proposed for Environmental Risk Assessment of LLP in Seed

September 2, 2015

A set of scientific criteria has been proposed to determine whether a genetically engineered (GE) crop will have little negative impact on the environment under low-level presence (LLP) conditions. At present, importers of crops with LLP undergo an environmental risk assessment (ERA), which fails to acknowledge the GE crop's low environmental exposure and prior regulatory history. In addition, this assessment may not be suitable to the timeframe for decision-making in LLP in imported seeds. The proposed criteria address these issues and may improve the system of regulating LLP in seed for importers.
 
Three general criteria are proposed:
  • Experience and knowledge with the crop plant indicated that the crop will not survive, persist, and multiply in the receiving environment without human intervention;
  • Experience and knowledge with the incorporated trait indicates that it does not pose a risk to the environment under conditions of LLP in seed; and
  • A previously conducted ERA concludes that the GE crop plant does not have altered characteristics with respect to growth and reproduction that would affect survival and resistance in the receiving environment.
The full paper is available in the journal Transgenic Research.