Does the new law signal increased regulation of the release of all agricultural biotech products?
Only elected officials can answer for certain, but scientific advancement and government regulation often go hand-in-hand, and their relationship has a somewhat predictable process. Some complain that regulation is delaying the benefits and increasing the costs of scientific progress.
We should note that there are no plans within the University of Minnesota to release a genetically engineered variety of wild rice.
Evolving regulation
Artificial insemination of livestock was once a controversial, highly regulated technology. Today, the practice is commonplace and virtually unregulated. That evolution reflects the normal process of society “catching up” with scientific discovery says Abel Ponce de León, associate dean for research in CFANS.
“Science’s role is to be two or three steps ahead. Advancing society’s understanding and comfort level with new technologies is part of our role as scientists,” Ponce de León says.
Another example is the now routine process of licensing new varieties of crops. Researcher and cultivated wild rice breeder Raymie Porter works at the North Central Research and Outreach Center in Grand Rapids. He works closely with the Minnesota Cultivated Wild Rice Council to field-test and adapt varieties for Minnesota’s northern climate. He says the regulatory process for his work operates pretty well—mostly.
“The varieties we develop are licensed, and licenses are very detailed about who can obtain the variety, which works well when you’re working with a limited group of growers,” Porter says.
New plant varieties are considered intellectual property, and Plant Variety Protection (PVP) offers the best legal safeguard for protecting the rights of plant breeders. “We looked at the forms [for PVP], but to fit our needs, we would have had to rewrite them,” Porter says.
Economics of regulation
The lack of PVP for a crop can dissuade the private sector from breeding new varieties. The length of time it takes for a new plant variety to clear the regulatory hurdles also can be a deterrent. Take the case of golden rice.
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