The American Soybean Association (ASA) responded positively today to a notice of proposed rulemaking from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) on the regulatory framework for plant breeding innovation. ASA welcomed the proposed rule, which continues to require pre-market approval by USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service of plants derived through transgenic biotechnology while excluding products from new breeding innovations, such as gene editing. ASA President Ron Moore, a farmer from Roseville, Ill., issued the following statement on the proposed rule.

“ASA is pleased to see this common-sense rule put forward by USDA. The innovations in plant breeding we’re seeing right now are precision tools that work within a species, and shouldn’t be subject to the same regulatory hurdles as first-generation transgenic biotechnology. USDA’s proposed rule acknowledges this distinction, and we look forward to working with the incoming Administration to ensure that this key aspect of the rule remains throughout the process.

“Practical regulation is critical to encouraging continued innovation in the agriculture industry,” Moore continued. Farmers face a range of challenges and require a complementary range of solutions to remain competitive. As the seed technology within our industry evolves, the regulatory framework must evolve with it. Today’s announcement is a great step forward for USDA.”