First food gene editing safety certificate approved! The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs releases the Approved List of Agricultural GMO Safety Certificates in 2024 (1)

On May 8, 2024, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs released the Approval list of 2024 Agricultural genetically modified Organisms Safety Certificate (I) : 9 production and application safety certificates were issued for the first time (2 gene-edited plants, 6 genetically modified microorganisms for animals and 1 genetically modified plant), and 55 production and application safety certificates were renewed after the expiration of their validity (4 genetically modified microorganisms for animals and 51 insect-resistant cotton).

It is worth noting that the crops that have obtained gene editing biosafety certificates have been newly added to corn and wheat. The applicants are Shandong BellaGen, QiBiodesign, and the Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences.

In terms of genetically modified crops, the insect-resistant and herbicide-resistant corn BBL2-2 jointly declared by Origin Agritech Limited, Biotechnology Research Institute ,CAAS, and Beijing Boai YuanshangBiotechnology Co., Ltd. obtained the safety certificate of transgenic production and application.