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68 SEEDWORLD.COM OCTOBER 2015 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. NATIONAL BLM UNVEILS NATIONAL SEED STRATEGY The U.S. Department of Interiors Bureau of Land Management released National Seed Strategy for Rehabilitation and Restoration Aug. 17 at a seed warehouse in Boise Idaho. According to the DOI the strategy will help foster resil- ient and healthy landscapes important to wildlife and to the economy by guiding ecological restoration espe- cially for those lands such as sagebrush habitat dam- aged by large rangeland fires. The American Seed Trade Association participated in numerous open and construc- tive dialogues fostered by the BLM staff throughout the formulation process. SAN FRANCISCO COURT CANCELS EPA PRODUCT APPROVAL The U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco Calif. ruled the Environmental Protection Agency did not have sufficient data when it approved sulfoxaflor in 2010 and subsequently canceled EPAs approval of products containing the ingredient. Dow AgroSciences reported it respectfully disagrees with the Ninth Circuits conclusion that EPAs registration of products containing sulfoxaflor should be vacated. Dow AgroSciences will work with EPA to implement the order and to promptly complete additional regulatory work to support the registration of the products. The company is also considering its options to challenge the courts decision. USDA ASKS EPA TO RECONSIDER PLAN TO PROTECT POLLINATORS The Environmental Protection Agencys plan to protect bees from exposure to pesticides could have a negative impact on numerous specialty crop farmers and the rural economies they contribute to across the U.S. according to Sheryl Kunickis program director for the Department of Agricultures Office of Pest Management Policy. In a letter to Jack Housenger EPAs pesticide programs director Kunickis writes that USDA has concerns with proposed prohibitions and encour- ages a thorough evaluation of adverse effects reports associated with contracted pollination services in order to best understand where protection improvements can be made rather than enact- ing a complete prohibition in crop protection materials. Under its Proposal to Mitigate Exposure to Bees from Acutely Toxic Pesticide Products EPA proposes to prohibit the applications of pesticides that are highly toxic to bees when crops are in bloom and bees are under contract for pollina- tion services. These restrictions would prohibit application of most insecticides and some herbicides during bloom. INOCUCOR MOVES ONE STEP CLOSER TO PATENT The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office sent Inocucor Technol- ogies Inc. a notice of allowance for its patent application to protect Inocucor consortia and unique microbial products that accelerate plant growth and enhance yields on farms and in greenhouses. This initial patent relates to Inocucors live IN-M1 microbial consortium and its fermentation byprod- ucts. These byproducts are the basis of the formulation for Inocucor Garden Solution the companys first-generation growth-accelerator product. INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPING COUNTRIES DECIDE FATE ON GMOS At a biotech seminar titled The Impact of Biotechnology on the Developing World Agriculture Nutrition and the Environment organized by the U.S. Mission in Geneva at World Trade Organization headquarters in-country experts shared triumphs and troubles related to the development and adop- tion of genetically modified crops. Countries outside the European Union are deciding whether or not they want to grow GM crops. The seminar suggested that countries out- side of the EU are less worried about biotech concerns. EU APPROVES TWO GM CROPS FOR IMPORT Two genetically modified crops have received endorse- ments to be approved for import in the European Union. The European Food Safety Authority EFSA has deemed the herbicide tolerant GM soy- bean Mon87708 x Mon89788 and the herbicide tolerant GM maize NK603 x T25 safe for food or feed use. In its scien- tific opinion EFSA reported that both crops are as safe as their non-GM counterparts and non-GM conventional maize varieties with respect to potential effects on human and animal health and the environment in the context of its scope. ORGANIZATIONS VOICE CONCERN ABOUT EU DIRECTION ON GMOS In early August 2015 Richard Lochhead the Scottish cabinet secretary for rural affairs food and environment announced that he would not allow the planting of insect resistant corn the only genetically modified crop approved for planting in the European Union. He also said that he would not allow the use of six other GM crops that are being assessed by the European Food Safety Authority EFSA. In a statement Lochhead mentioned that the reason for the ban was to protect and further enhance our clean green status. In response to this decision 28 scientific organizations expressed concerns in a letter to Lochhead about the decision to ban GM crops in Scotland. These organizations which include the Royal Society of Edinburgh and the British Society of Plant Breeders have asked for a meeting with Lochhead to talk about scientific evidence on GM crops. Lochhead has agreed to meet with the scientists and assured them that the ban will not affect the state of current research in Scotland. SW