GM grass eludes outmoded USDA oversight.

摘要

In July, the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) said an herbicide-tolerant variety of lawn grass fell outside its regulatory authority. The case represents the first time a large company has purposely and successfully taken advantage of a critical weakness in the regulation of genetically modified (GM) plants. Although the grass maker, Scotts Miracle-Gro of Marysville, Ohio, has no intention of commercializing the product, the route to market for its GM Kentucky bluegrass is now the same as any variety produced by conventional methods, which are not required to follow the agency’s approval route—a process that typically requires years of expensive field trials and environmental testing. “The bluegrass decision is a major landmark, as it sets a huge loophole to circumvent [USDA] regulations,” says Alan McHughen, a biotechnologist at University of California, Riverside. The regulatory gap has been known to the industry for years and “now Scotts has shown it can be done,” he says. As Scotts blazes a regulatory trail, other companies, particularly small developers, may be encouraged to follow.