REGULATORY NEWS

US Agencies Wrestle with GE Crops, While EU May Knock Out Clones
Phillip Jones

For the first time, a US regulatory agency proposes to limit the cultivation of genetically engineered (GE) corn. The Environmental Protection Agency's proposal concerns GE corn engineered to synthesize Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) toxin to kill rootworm. EPA officials are not concerned that the GE corn poses a health threat; they want to preserve the efficacy of the insect-killing plants.

GE Food Labels: USDA Enters the Melee
For years, state legislators have been drafting bills that would require labels on food products containing ingredients from GE crops. Congress has also struggled with GE food label laws that would fashion a uniform standard for all states. Currently, the FDA refuses to require GE food labels. The agency takes the position that the FD&C Act does not create the authority to mandate labeling based on the method of food production if the agency considers the final food product to be safe.

In the EU, Not Everybody Loves a Clone
The possibility that food products from clones or their offspring may enter the marketplace has inflamed controversy. The FDA decided that "meat and milk from clones of cattle, swine, and goats, and the offspring of clones from any species traditionally consumed as food, are as safe to eat as food from conventionally bred animals." On December 18, 2013, the EU Commission announced a proposal to initiate a five year moratorium on the cloning of animals of the bovine, porcine, ovine, caprine and equine species kept and reproduced for farming purposes. The moratorium reflected concerns about cloning-related animal welfare.

PLANT RESEARCH NEWS

Sweetpotato Is a Naturally Transgenic Crop
Jan F Kreuze

The acquisition of new genes that confer a selective advantage is an important factor in genome evolution. Whereas it has long been recognized that exchange of genetic material between species is an important aspect of prokaryotic evolution, in recent years it has emerged that significant parts of eukaryotic genomes also originate from the exchange of genetic material among related or unrelated species. This phenomenon known as 'horizontal gene transfer' (HGT) is now considered to be a rare but significant source of molecular variability and a driver of evolution. Our data provide evidence of an ancient HGT between an Agrobacterium strain and an ancestor of the cultivated sweetpotato.

NEWS AND NOTES

Improving Transparency and Ensuring Continued Safety in Biotechnology
Posted by John P. Holdren, Howard Shelanski, Darci Vetter, Christy Goldfuss

In 1986, the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) issued the Coordinated Framework for the Regulation of Biotechnology, which outlined a comprehensive Federal regulatory policy for ensuring the safety of biotechnology products. The complexity of the array of regulations and guidance documents developed by the three Federal agencies with jurisdiction over biotechnology products can make it difficult for the public to understand how the safety of biotechnology products is evaluated, and navigating the regulatory process for these products can be unduly challenging, especially for small companies.