Pew Initiative Analysis: State Legilatures Focus on Agribiotech

Agricultural biotechnology continues to be of interest to state legislatures, according to a new fact sheet and web database released by the Pew Initiative on Food and Biotechnology. Twenty-nine percent of introduced legislation addressed the regulation of seeds and crops; 22 percent of introduced bills were in support of agricultural biotechnology; 16 percent of introduced bills sought to impose moratoria on GM crops and animals and 15 percent of legislation addressed rights and responsibilities of farmers and biotech seed producers by establishing liability for damages caused by genetically modified crops.

The fact sheet, entitled “State Legislative Activity Related to Agricultural Biotechnology in 2005-2006,” chronicles and catalogues state and federal legislative activity relating to agricultural biotechnology in 2005 and 2006. The findings would be the fifth and the final state legislation report to be released by PIFB.

The fact sheet can be viewed at:http://pewagbiotech.org/resources/factsheets/legislation/factsheet.php. The database can be viewed at:http://pewagbiotech.org/resources/factsheets/legislation