Argentina updates GM crop rules

The Argentine Ministry of Agriculture has presented a new regulatory framework for agricultural biotechnology use in the country. Secretary of Agriculture Lorenzo Basso says that the idea began to gestate three years ago to “create greater biosafety and other safety, and in parallel speed up the GM crop approval process”. The Ministry admitted that it intended to speed up the approval process for GM crops at least two years ago ( Agrow No 618, p 20). He claims a system that guarantees sustainable agriculture and food supplies. The regulations “detail the steps that developers should take to request approval for field trials of [GM crops]”. The Argentine seed association, the ASA, head Alfredo Pasayero believes that the changes allow developers greater predictability. “We welcome a clear regulatory framework that shows us the road to take,” he says.