On August 27, 2024, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) announced that it recently reviewed the following plants modified using genetic engineering to determine whether they posed an increased plant pest risk relative to non-modified comparators:
- University of Florida, two submissions, a sweet orange and a grapefruit with disease tolerance to citrus greening, also called Huanglongbing (HLB); and
- Bioceres Crop Solutions, wheat with drought tolerance and herbicide resistance.
APHIS states that it found these modified plants were unlikely to pose an increased plant pest risk compared to other cultivated plants. As a result, they are not subject to regulation under 7 C.F.R. Part 340. APHIS notes that “[f]rom a plant pest risk perspective, this modified plant may be safely grown and bred in the United States.”
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