A Minnesota company, Acceligen, has developed heat tolerant cattle, using gene editing to create shorter, or “slick,” coats that help the animals stay cooler.

The J.R. Simplot Co. is using biotechnology to develop potatoes and other crops that do not bruise, reducing food waste and making it easier to deliver fresh foods to stores and consumers in far-flung locations.

Exciting agricultural discoveries are happening every day. But these discoveries will become reality only if we have a clear, science-based, and efficient regulatory system. Unfortunately, the U.S. government has fallen behind in developing policy on biotechnology and gene editing.

FDA has yet to issue its guidance on new plant varieties produced using the tools of gene editing, while its review of new biotech plant varieties has slowed significantly in recent years. Innovative feed additives and supplements that reduce livestock methane emissions take three to five years to get reviewed by FDA.

While USDA has updated its regulatory frameworks for biotech plants, the agency’s incremental approach to exemptions from regulation is overly stringent for plants that could have been produced using conventional breeding. Further updates are needed to ensure that microbial technologies also have a clear, efficient pathway to market.

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