Editor’s note: Val Giddings is Senior Fellow at the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation.
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Biden administration has a rare opportunity to accelerate agricultural innovation and spur broad and lasting economic growth by taking a handful of discrete regulatory actions that would update longstanding policy that has enjoyed strong bipartisan support.
Key points
- With bipartisan support, U.S. biotech regulations since 1986 have enabled innovation to flourish, leading a global revolution in agricultural productivity and sustainability that has benefitted farmers, consumers, and the environment.
- Yet regulations have not been modernized to keep pace with scientific innovation, and they have strayed from relying on science and data. This has impeded further biotech innovation that could improve safety and solve pressing societal problems.
- USDA has made some progress updating and streamlining regulations, but data and experience show it needs to move farther and faster. EPA and FDA have become obstacles to progress and safety advances and urgently need to correct course.
- The Office of Science and Technology Policy should work with the Office of Management and Budget to ensure updates take place quickly. This will stimulate innovations in agricultural biotechnology across multiple sectors of the economy.
Read the full report online:
