ISAAA and Partners Call for Responsive Regulation of NBT Products

ISAAA Inc., in partnership with the Philippine Agriculture and Fisheries Biotechnology Program (DA-Biotech Program) and the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research and Agriculture (SEARCA), published a policy brief titled To Regulate, or Not to Regulate, the Answer to the Question: The NCBP Policy on Plant Breeding Innovations or New Breeding Techniques. Ms. Ma. Lorelie U. Agbagala, Assistant Scientist at the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) and Head Secretariat of the National Committee on Biosafety of the Philippines, authored the policy brief.

It tackles the following essential topics:

• difference between genetic engineering and gene editing;
• regulation of plant and plant products derived from new breeding techniques (NBTs); and
• updates in the process for determining if NBT product is GMO or non-GMO.

"With the breakthroughs of new plant breeding innovations, regulations should be responsive to the changes and demands of the technology. Globally, there are different regulatory systems that range from overly restrictive to pragmatic. However, an ideal regulatory system should be science or evidence-based, predictable, and time-bound to realize the benefits of PBI for both producers and consumers," Agbagala stressed in the policy brief.

This is the second release in the series of policy briefs on the modernization of agriculture under the Know the Science project of ISAAA Inc., SEARCA, and DA-Biotech Program. Download a copy from the ISAAA website.