78 / SEEDWORLD.COM FEBRUARY 2018 NATIONAL EPA DESIGNATES GRAIN SORGHUM AS ADVANCED BIOFUEL The Environmental Protection Agency has designated grain sorghum as an advanced biofuel. Growth Energy’s Vice President of Regulatory Affairs Chris Bliley says the designation is great for ethanol producers who use grain sor- ghum as a feed stock because it opens up a valuable additional market for one of their most important co-products. He says making grain sorghum an advanced biofuel is positive for producers who are poised to provide more home- grown fuels across the country. Bliley says to get the designation, grain sorghum proponents had to meet strict criteria in regards to reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Bliley hopes this move by EPA will lead to more advanced biofuels becom- ing available for consumers. U.S. TO TIGHTEN STANDARD FOR SOY SHIPPED TO CHINA, USDA SAYS U.S. officials will impose stricter quality controls on exports of soybeans headed to China in response to a request from the government in Beijing, a move that may curb some American shipments. Shipments with impurity levels below a new standard of 1 percent, half the current level, will receive priority for shipment, while soybeans above it may be held back for more cleaning, U.S. Department of Agriculture spokesman William Wepsala said in a telephone interview. INTERNATIONAL NIGERIA APPROVES NEW POLICY FOR GMO REGULATOR The Federal Executive Council, FEC, on Dec. 28 approved a revised policy on the National Bio-Safety Management Agency. The Minister of State for Environment, Ibrahim Jibrin, told State House corre- spondents that the agency is charged REGULATORY ROUNDUP Keeping you informed of legislative and regulatory changes at the state, national and international levels — from lawsuits to approvals to other regulatory issues affecting your business. with the direct responsibility of monitor- ing and supervising the use of genetically modified organisms in the country. Mr. Jibrin, who spoke after the con- clusion of the FEC meeting, said people often mistake the agency for another agency in the Federal Ministry of Science and Technology: National Bio-Technology Development Agency. He said while the first one under the Ministry of Science and Technology is charged with the responsibility of doing research work and making a break- through on many things in the country, the national bio-safety agency under the Ministry of Environment, is a regulatory agency with the responsibility of checking the type of genetically modified food that could come into the country. He said the regulation is to ensure that they are safe for consumption either for animals or humans and to ensure also that they do not displace our traditional prod- ucts that are found locally in the country. UK RESISTANCE ACTION GROUPS ISSUE JOINT STATEMENT ON MODE OF ACTION LABELLING The UK Resistance Action Groups - weed, fungicide and insecticide, have separately met and agreed that, whilst it needs care- ful implementation, the inclusion of mode of action labelling for products should be actively considered with a view to imple- mentation. The AHDB-supported Resistance Action Groups (RAGs) are informal, UK-based groups consisting of experts from the Crop Protection Association (CPA) member companies, other repre- sentatives from the agrochemical indus- try, a range of independent organisations, including public-sector research institutes, and the Chemicals Regulation Directorate (CRD) (previously PSD). The groups are completely independent of AHDB and work to produce guidance on pesticide resistance issues. There are four autono- mous groups dealing with issues relating to weeds, fungicides, insecticides and rodenticides. SW