On August 18, 2025, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) advised the public that it is withdrawing notices of intent to prepare environmental impact statements (EIS) for two petitions seeking determinations of nonregulated status for organisms developed using genetic engineering. 90 Fed. Reg. 40050. APHIS states that its decision to withdraw the notices of intent is consistent with its July 9, 2025, Program Update that as of that date,...
August 19, 2025
Bipartisan Bill Would Strengthen American Biomanufacturing
On August 1, 2025, Senators Elissa Slotkin (D-MI), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Joni Ernst (R-IA), and Pete Ricketts (R-NE) reintroduced the bipartisan Biomanufacturing and Jobs Act (S. 2654). According to Slotkin’s August 6, 2025, press release, the bill would “create jobs and create new markets for our farmers by strengthening the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) BioPreferred program, a program designed to promote the use of domestic biobased products.” The press release states...
August 12, 2025
EC Begins Public Consultation on Biotech Act
The European Commission (EC) began a public consultation on August 4, 2025, on the European Biotech Act in the form of an online questionnaire. According to the EC, the aim is to gather evidence and views from stakeholders across all relevant sectors of biotechnology and biomanufacturing, including the medical and pharmaceutical, agricultural, food and feed, industrial, environmental, and marine sectors. The EC states that stakeholder feedback is crucial for identifying the most important...
August 7, 2025
APHIS Seeks Comment on Petition to Deregulate Corn Developed Using Genetic Engineering
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) announced on July 8, 2025, that it has received a petition from Bayer CropScience seeking a determination of nonregulated status for MON 95275 maize (corn) that has been developed using genetic engineering to produce two insecticidal proteins and a double-stranded RNA transcript to provide protection from feeding damage caused by targeted coleopteran (corn rootworm) insect pests. 90 Fed. Reg. 30035....
August 6, 2025
Cefic Publishes Position Paper on EU Bioeconomy Strategy, Calls for Industrial Bioeconomy Strategy
On July 1, 2025, the European Chemical Industry Council (Cefic) announced a new position paper and five-point action plan that will “help deliver a [European Union (EU)] Bioeconomy Strategy that supports the scale-up of bio-based chemistry, biomanufacturing, and achieve industrial transformation while adhering to planetary boundaries.” According to Cefic, the European Commission (EC) should mainstream revision of the EU Bioeconomy Strategy into all forthcoming legislations. The revision...
August 5, 2025
USDA Seeks Public Comment on Reorganization Plan
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced on August 1, 2025, the opening of a 30-day public comment period for stakeholders to provide feedback on USDA’s reorganization plan, as outlined in the July 24, 2025, memorandum issued by U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke L. Rollins. According to the press release, the reorganization proposal reflects President Trump’s commitment to relocate federal agencies beyond the national capital region, reduce bureaucracy, and strengthen USDA’s...
August 4, 2025
Bipartisan Ag BIO Act Introduced in the Senate
On July 31, 2025, Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Jerry Moran (R-KS) introduced bipartisan legislation to enhance the ability of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Biorefinery, Renewable Chemical, and Biobased Product Manufacturing Assistance Program to support the development of advanced biofuels, renewable chemicals, and biobased products. According to Klobuchar’s July 31, 2025, press release, the Agricultural Biorefinery Innovation and Opportunity (Ag BIO) Act will update the...
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) announced on July 9, 2025, that it is updating its practices for reviewing petitions seeking a determination of nonregulated status for organisms altered or produced through genetic engineering (modified organisms) under 7 C.F.R. Part 340. According to APHIS, it is making these updates to ensure its petition process aligns with recent developments related to the National Environmental Policy Act...
On June 6, 2025, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) announced that it has prepared a revised draft environmental impact statement (EIS) and revised draft plant pest risk assessment (PPRA) evaluating the potential environmental impacts and plant pest risk that may result from the approval of a petition for nonregulated status for blight-tolerant American chestnut (Castanea dentata) from the State University of New York College of...
On June 16, 2025, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) issued a final rule making technical amendments to the Code of Federal Regulations (C.F.R.) to conform the C.F.R. to the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California’s vacatur of USDA’s May 2020 final rule for organisms developed using genetic engineering. 90 Fed. Reg. 25123. The rule was effective June 16, 2025. As reported in our May 18, 2020, memorandum, the...