Many new varieties of genetically modified crops will be exempt from regulation in the United States under a new policy. By Erik StokstadA major change to U.S.
regulation of biotech will exempt some gene-edited plants from government oversight. The new policy, published in the Federal Register today, also calls for automatic approval of variations of established kinds of genetically modified (GM) crops, easing their path to market.Industry groups are welcoming the new rule, whereas opponents are decrying the reduction of government oversight.“The main good thing is that it will allow certain aspects of gene editing to move forward,” says Kent Bradford, a plant geneticist at the University of California, Davis.