APHIS Releases Regulatory Status Review of Four Modified Plants

The U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) has released their review of four plants modified using genetic engineering to determine whether they posed an increased plant pest risk as relative to non-modified comparators.

APHIS found that these modified plants were unlikely to pose an increased plant pest risk compared to other cultivated plants and were not subject to regulation under 7 CFR part 340 and may be safely grown and bred in the United States.

The four modified plants are the following:

• sugar beet with herbicide resistance developed by Bayer Crop Science;
• pennycress with reduced glucosinolates, erucic acid, fiber, and poly-unsaturated fatty acid content in seed, increased oleic acid content in seed, and reduced seed shattering developed by CoverCress;
• pennycress with reduced glucosinolates, erucic acid, and fiber in seeds from Hjelle Advisors for CoverCress; and
• soybeans with meat protein in seeds and antibiotic resistance developed by Moolec Science.

For more details, read the media release on the APHIS website.