USDA APHIS Deregulates Plant-Parasitic, Nematode-Protected, and Herbicide Tolerant GM Soybean

The U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) has announced the deregulation of genetically engineered soybean event GMB 151 developed by BASF Corporation.

Soybean GMB 151 was developed using genetic engineering for resistance to the plant-parasitic nematode, soybean cyst nematode (Heterodera glycines), and for tolerance to 4-hydroxyphenylpyruvate dioxygenase (HPPD-4) inhibitor herbicides. APHIS based the determination of nonregulated status on their evaluation of data submitted by BASF Corporation in its petition for a determination of nonregulated status, analysis of available scientific data, and public comments in response to notices announcing the availability of the petition for nonregulated status and its associated draft environmental assessment and draft plant pest risk assessment.

APHIS considered all public comments and conducted a thorough review of the potential environmental impacts in its final environmental assessment (EA) pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), reaching a finding of no significant impact (FONSI). In its draft plant pest risk assessment (PPRA), APHIS concluded that the GMB 151 soybean variety is unlikely to pose a plant pest risk to agricultural crops or other plants in the United States and is deregulating it effective March 9, 2022.

For more details, read the article on the APHIS website or the notice in the Federal Register.