76 / SEEDWORLD.COM JUNE 2019 NATIONAL EPA TAKES NEXT STEP IN REVIEW PROCESS FOR HERBICIDE GLYPHOSATE The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is taking an important step in the agency’s review of glypho- sate. As part of this action, EPA continues to find that there are no risks to public health when glyphosate is used in accordance with its current label and that glypho- sate is not a carcinogen. The agency’s scientific findings on human health risk are con- sistent with the conclusions of science reviews by many other countries and other federal agencies. While the agency did not identify public health risks in the 2017 human 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. health risk assessment, the 2017 ecological assessment did identify ecological risks. To address these risks, EPA is proposing management measures to help farmers target pesticide sprays on the intended pest, protect pollina- tors, and reduce the problem of weeds becoming resistant to glyphosate. CHINA GIVES REGULATORY APPROVAL TO FIVE GM TRAITS During U.S. trade talks in the first quarter this year, China announced that it would be approving five genetically modified traits for import, which would be the first move in 18 months to decrease pressure from the U.S. on farm goods. The traits are: •  TruFlex canola with Round Up Ready tech- nology (MON 88302) owned by Bayer •  Qrome corn (DP4114) owned by DowDuPont •  Enlist E3 (DAS-44406- 6) owned by Corteva Agriscience •  RF3 canola owned by BASF •  MGI soybeans developed by Syngenta and Bayer “These Chinese approv- als are important steps in the regulatory process for soybeans, corn and canola. Once the final approvals are secured, the traits represent choice for the American farmer and opportunities for independent seed companies to expand their offerings,” says Todd Martin, CEO of the Independent Professional Seed Association (IPSA). INTERNATIONAL CANADIAN AND CHINESE OFFICIALS ‘ACTIVELY ENGAGING’ OVER CANOLA ISSUE On April 1, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food Marie-Claude Bibeau and Minister of International Trade Diversification Jim Carr met with agricultural industry leaders and their provin- cial counterparts to discuss priorities for Saskatchewan’s agriculture sector, including canola exports. The ministers hosted a roundtable with representa- tives from the canola sector, where they reaffirmed the Government of Canada’s com- mitment to work through all available channels to resolve the disruption of Canada’s canola seed exports to China as quickly as possible. The ministers held a round- table with key agricultural stakeholders from the grains, pulses, and special crops sector to discuss opportuni- ties and challenges, and how to continue building an even stronger and more innova- tive agricultural sector for Saskatchewan. PERMIT FOR CRISPR MAIZE FIELD TRIAL THAT AIMS TO MEASURE CLIMATE STRESS On April 12, VIB has been granted a permit for its field trial with maize plants that contain small surgical CRISPR- induced heritable changes. Obtaining this permit allows VIB to continue the field work that was already initiated in 2017. A European Court of Justice (ECJ) ruling of July 2018 triggered a decision by the Belgian authorities that such a CRISPR experiment requires a permit. The CRISPR technique can help with the development of crops that can contribute to important sustainability goals such as reducing the environmental impact of agriculture, making plants more robust against climate stress, improving the nutritional content of food crops, and protecting biodiversity. In many cases, this involves the introduc- tion of small heritable varia- tions – mutations – that could arise spontaneously in nature or via traditional breeding methods. In these instances, CRISPR-modified crops are indistinguishable from their traditional counterparts. SW