China's Seed Law Amended

A draft amendment to China's Seed Law was submitted to the legislature for a second reading at the start of the bimonthly session of the Standing Committee of the 12th National People's Congress on October 30, 2015. The amendment removes the barriers for those applying for a seed production and trade license as the government hopes to stimulate innovation at the industry-level so China can compete with other countries.

The draft, however, left the approval system for major crop seeds unchanged, which states that the seeds of such crops (rice, corn, wheat, soybean, and cotton) must be approved by regulators before they are introduced to the market.

The draft law is adopting a prudent approach to genetically modified (GM) seeds, stating that the breeding, testing, and promotion of GM seeds must be assessed and controlled, and that agricultural and forestry authorities should strengthen their management of GM seeds and release information in a timely manner.

For details, read the news article at the website of the Ministry of Agriculture of the People's Republic of China.