WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) is advising the public it has prepared a draft plant pest risk assessment and an environmental assessment (EA) to address a request from Florigene Pty., Ltd seeking a determination of nonregulated status for roses that have been genetically engineered (GE) to produce novel flower color.
The hybrid rose lines, designated as IFD-524O1-4 and IFD-529O1-9, are currently under APHIS regulation. Importation and testing of the hybrid rose lines have been conducted under APHIS' permit and notification process. The lines are engineered to produce the same shades of color Florigene developed for their GE carnation, which has been traded as a cut flower in the United States for several years, with no reports of adverse effects.
The EA presents two alternatives based on its analyses of data submitted by Florigene, a review of other scientific data, and field tests conducted under APHIS oversight. APHIS is considering the following alternatives: (1) take no action and keep the hybrid rose lines under regulation; or (2) determine nonregulated status for the hybrid rose lines in whole.
This draft EA is published in today's April 13 Federal Register.
Consideration will be given to comments received on or before June 13. If you wish to submit a comment online, go to the Federal eRulemaking portal at www.regulations.gov/fdmspublic/component/main?main=DocketDetail&d=APHIS-2010-0040.
Or, you may send a copy of your comments by postal mail or commercial delivery to Docket No. APHIS-2010-040, Regulatory Analysis and Development, Policy and Program
Development, APHIS, Station 3A-03.8, 4700 River Road, Unit 118, Riverdale, MD 20737-1238. Please state that your comment refers to Docket No. APHIS-2010-0040.
Comments are posted on the Regulations.gov website and may also be reviewed at USDA, Room 1141, South Building, 14th St. and Independence Ave., SW., Washington, DC, between 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, excluding holidays. To facilitate entry into the comment reading room, please call (202) 690-2817.
Source: USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service