Tuesday, July 28, 2015 - Finally responding to consumer demands, the Office of Science and Technology Policy has is
sued a statement directing the three U.S. agencies that oversee biotech crop products to improve and modernize their regulatory "framework" to boost public confidence in a system that critics call a failure.
Biotech crops are regulated through the government's "coordinated framework" that involves the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
The White House stated, "the complexity of the array of regulations and guidance documents developed by the three Federal agencies ... 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."
The administration also said it was commissioning an independent analysis of the future for biotech products and that it will clarify the roles and responsibilities of the EPA, USDA, and FDA, and try to develop a long-term strategy to ensure regulators are well equipped to assess risks with future biotech products.
Scott Faber, senior vice president of the Environmental Working Group, said in a statement, "Reform of the badly outdated system for reviewing GMO crops and other products is long overdue."
The Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO), whose members include GMO crop developers, said it welcomed a path toward more efficient and transparent approvals of new products.
PREDICTION: A government tax-payer funded white-wash of the dangers of GMO’s and associated herbicides and pesticides is about to ensue.
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