Enabling Trade in Gene-Edited Produce in Asia and Australasia: The Developing Regulatory Landscape and Future Perspectives
Michael G. K. Jones,
John Fosu-Nyarko,
Sadia Iqbal,
Muhammad Adeel,
Rhodora Romero-Aldemita,
Mahaletchumy Arujanan,
Mieko Kasai,
Xun Wei,
Bambang Prasetya,
Satya Nugroho,
Osman Mewett,
Shahid Mansoor,
Muhammad J. A. Awan,
Reynante L. Ordonio,
S. R. Rao,
Abhijit Poddar,
Penny Hundleby,
Nipon Iamsupasit,
Kay Khoo
Affiliations
Michael G. K. Jones
Crop Biotechnology Research Group, Centre for Crop and Food Innovation, Food Futures Institute, Murdoch University, Perth, WA 6150, Australia
John Fosu-Nyarko
Crop Biotechnology Research Group, Centre for Crop and Food Innovation, Food Futures Institute, Murdoch University, Perth, WA 6150, Australia
Sadia Iqbal
Crop Biotechnology Research Group, Centre for Crop and Food Innovation, Food Futures Institute, Murdoch University, Perth, WA 6150, Australia
Muhammad Adeel
Crop Biotechnology Research Group, Centre for Crop and Food Innovation, Food Futures Institute, Murdoch University, Perth, WA 6150, Australia
Rhodora Romero-Aldemita
ISAAA—BioTrust Global Knowledge Center on Biotechnology, International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-Biotech Applications (ISAAA), IRRI, Los Banos 4031, Philippines
Mahaletchumy Arujanan
Malaysian Biotechnology Information Centre, Monash University Malaysia, Jalan Lagoon Selatan, Bandar Sunway 47500, Malaysia
Mieko Kasai
Japan Plant Factory Association, 6-2-1 Kashiwanoha Kashiwa, Chiba 277-0012, Japan
Xun Wei
Zhongzhi International Institute of Agricultural Biosciences, Research Center of Biology and Agriculture, Shunde Graduate School, University of Science and Technology Beijing, Beijing 100024, China
Bambang Prasetya
National Biosafety Committee of Genetically Engineered Products (KKH-PRG), Research Center for Testing Technology and Standards, National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN), Central Jakarta 10340, Indonesia
Satya Nugroho
Research Center for Genetic Engineering, Research Organization for Life Sciences and Environment, National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN), Central Jakarta 10340, Indonesia
Osman Mewett
Australian Seed Federation, 20 Napier Cl, Deakin, Canberra, ACT 2600, Australia
Shahid Mansoor
National Institute for Biotechnology and Genetic Engineering (NIBGE), Faisalabad 44000, Pakistan
Muhammad J. A. Awan
National Institute for Biotechnology and Genetic Engineering (NIBGE), Faisalabad 44000, Pakistan
Reynante L. Ordonio
Crop Biotech Center, Philippine Rice Research Institute, Munoz 3119, Philippines
S. R. Rao
Sri Balaji Vidyapeeth University, Pondicherry 607402, India
Abhijit Poddar
MGM Advanced Research Institute, Pondicherry 607402, India
Penny Hundleby
John Innes Centre, Norwich, Research Park, Norwich NR4 7UH, UK
Genome- or gene-editing (abbreviated here as ‘GEd’) presents great opportunities for crop improvement. This is especially so for the countries in the Asia-Pacific region, which is home to more than half of the world’s growing population. A brief description of the science of gene-editing is provided with examples of GEd products. For the benefits of GEd technologies to be realized, international policy and regulatory environments must be clarified, otherwise non-tariff trade barriers will result. The status of regulations that relate to GEd crop products in Asian countries and Australasia are described, together with relevant definitions and responsible regulatory bodies. The regulatory landscape is changing rapidly: in some countries, the regulations are clear, in others they are developing, and some countries have yet to develop appropriate policies. There is clearly a need for the harmonization or alignment of GEd regulations in the region: this will promote the path-to-market and enable the benefits of GEd technologies to reach the end-users.
