USDA Deregulates Soybean Developed with Genetic Engineering

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA)Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS)is deregulating a soybean variety developed byBASF Corp.using genetic engineering.

The variety, designated as GMB 151, was developed to resistsoybeancyst nematode, a microscopic parasitic worm, and for herbicide resistance.

As part of the petition process, APHIS prepared a draft plant pest risk assessment (PPRA) and draft environmental assessment (EA) and made these documents available for a 30-day public review and comment period on August 17, 2021.

APHIS considered all public comments and conducted a thorough review of the potential environmental impacts in its final EA pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), reaching a finding of no significant impact (FONSI).

APHIS concluded in its final PPRA that the GMB 151 soybean variety is unlikely to pose a plant pest risk to agricultural crops or other plants in the U.S. and deregulated it March 9, 2022.