Biotech Updates

USDA Partially Deregulates Biotech Sugarbeets

February 11, 2011

The U.S. Department of Agriculture's  Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) will partially deregulate Roundup Ready sugarbeets. This decision was published in the February 8, 2011 issue of Federal Register. The partial deregulation is an interim measure until APHIS is able to complete a full environmental impact statement.

"After conducting an environmental assessment, accepting and reviewing public comments and conducting a plant pest risk assessment, APHIS has determined that the Roundup Ready sugarbeet root crop, when grown under APHIS imposed conditions, can be partially deregulated without posing a plant pest risk or having a significant effect on the environment," said Michael Gregoire, deputy administrator for APHIS' biotechnology regulatory services.

Visit  http://www.aphis.usda.gov/newsroom/2011/02/rr_sugar_beets.shtml for more information.