Growing Biotech Industry Prompts Independent Review

WASHINGTON, DC, October 4, 1999 (ENS) - The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has reached an agreement with the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) to undertake an independent scientific review of USDA's regulatory process for biotechnology derived plants. NAS will establish a standing committee of about 15 members for ongoing reviews of the USDA process. In its first year, the committee will examine the environmental impacts of commercializing transgenic plants and how best to assess and mitigate those risks. "We need to embrace the potential of biotechnology, but with sound science as our guide," said Agriculture Secretary Dan Glickman.

Last Thursday, Glickman announced USDA grants totaling $1.3 million for research on the environmental effects and risks associated with agricultural biotechnology. "These research projects will provide government, industry, and consumers with valuable additional information on the effect of introducing genetically modified organisms into the environment," Glickman said. Six universities and the USDAšs own Agricultural Research Service will get grants to study topics ranging from the evolution of insect adaptations to crops modified for pest resistance, to the spread of modified genes from domestic to wild plants. More information about the grants and USDA's Biotechnology Risk Assessment Research Grants Program is available online at: http://www.reeusda.gov/crgam/biotechrisk/biotech.htm.