G/SPS/GEN/1658/Rev. 4 
28 May  2020 
(20-3855) Page: 1/2 
Committee on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures  Original:  Spanish  
 
  
INTERNATIONAL STATEM ENT ON AGRICULTURAL APPLICATIONS  
OF PRECISION BIOTECH NOLOGY  
COMMUNICATION FROM ARGENTINA, AUSTRALIA, BRAZIL, CANADA,  THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC,  
GUATEMALA,  HONDURAS, PARAGUAY , PHILIPPINES,  THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA   
AND URUGUAY  
Revisio n 
The following communication , received on  26 October  2018, is being circulated at the request of the 
delegations of  Argentina , Australia , Brazil , Canad a, the Dominican Republic , Guatemala , Honduras , 
Paraguay , Philippines , the United  States  of America  and Uruguay . 
 
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1  OVERVIEW  
1.1.  Precision biotechnology techniques , as a whole , constitute an essential tool fo r agricultural 
innovation . Their use provides farmers with access to products that increase productivity while 
preserving environmental sustainability . 
1.2.  Global environmental challenges, pest and disease  pressures , food insecurity, and changes in 
consumer preferences, among other factors, have made the use and fostering  of tools such as 
precision biotechnology vital for increasing the production of safe food . 
1.3.  In this light , in April 2018, the countries participating in the "Seminar on  Genome Editing for 
Regulators",  organized by the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA) , shared  
a draft s tatement on the applications of precision biotechnology . 
1.4.  The primary objective is to coordinate efforts to ensure that the regulatory approaches for 
these  techniques, which include  gene editing, are scientifically bas ed and internationally harmonized . 
1.5.  The final text of the international s tatement  is non -binding on supporting  countries , but 
provides the necessary guidelines for preventing  regulatory asymmetries and , in turn , potential trade 
disruption . 
2  TEXT OF THE "INTERNATIONAL STATEMENT ON AGRICULTURAL APPLICATIONS OF 
PRECISION BIOTECHNOLOGY"  
2.1.  Agricultural innovation has played an essential role in increasing yields and productivity in 
support of growing, prosperous civilizations . Innovations in precision biotechnology, such as gene 
editing, have brought the promise of major improvements in terms of the ease and precision of 
introducing desirable traits into agricultural organisms, as comp ared to other breeding methods . 
Farmers continually need to broaden access to new tools to improve productivity, plant and animal 
health, and env ironmental sustainability,  and need to help address global challenges such as climate 
change, pest and disease pressures,  and the safety and security of worldwide food supplies, as well 
as meet consumer preferences and demands for healthier, higher quality foods at affordable prices . 
Government policies must continue to foster innovation , including in the public se ctor and by small G/SPS/GEN/1658/Rev. 4 
- 2 - 
  and medium -sized enterprises (SMEs) , and mitigate unintended, unnecessary barriers to the entry 
of agricultural  products . 
2.2.  In some cases, precision biotechnology, such as gene editing, may generate organisms with 
characteristics similar to  those obtainable through conventional breeding . In other cases, the 
organisms generated may have characteristics similar to those introduced into organisms using 
recombinant -DNA technologies . In either case, the food, animal, and environmental safety of such 
products can be adequately addressed by existing regulatory frameworks for agricultural products 
and ex isting safety standards based on the characteristics of the product or organism . 
2.3.  Governments are engaging in policy discussions on regulatory frameworks and global 
regulatory c ompatibility to encourage cross -border research collaboration and minimize potential 
disruptions to trade . Differing domestic regulatory approaches for products derived from precision 
biotechnolog y may result not only in international asynchronicity in approvals, but also in asymmetry 
in regulatory approaches, and create potential trade issues that could impede innovation . 
Recognizing the potential positive contributions of precision biotechnology to global agriculture, and 
emphasizing the importance of early action to identify avenues to minimize the trade impacts of 
differing regulatory approaches, the undersign ed governments acknowledge that : 
− Precision biotechnology products have the potential to  play a critical role in addressi ng the 
challenges facing agricultural  production, including by contributing to increasing the supply 
of foods and other agricultural products, in a sustainable way ; 
− Collaborative research efforts and the ability to introduc e useful products into the market, 
especially by SMEs and public sector researchers, are necessary to fully realize the 
potential  of precision biotechnology ; 
− Given the differences internationally in appro aches used to assess agricultural  
biotechnology, due  consideration should be exercised  by governments to avoid arbitrary 
and unjusti fiable distinctions between end products derived from precisio n biotechnology 
and similar end products obtained through  other production methods ; 
− To ensure appropriate science - and risk -based approaches consistent with the protection 
of human, animal and plant health and the environment, due consideration should be 
given to available scientific and technical information when updating existing regulatory 
frameworks or applying these frameworks to products of precision biotechnology, and 
when using available flexibility within existing regulatory frameworks for agricultural 
products ; 
− Regulatory approaches necessary to help ensure safety ( of humans, animals, plants, and 
the environment) in respect of  products derived from precision biotechnology should be 
science - and risk -based, transparent, predictable, timely, and consistent with relevant 
international trade obligations ; 
− Cooperative work b y governments to minimize unnecessary barriers to trade related to 
the regulatory oversight of products of precision biotechnology, including the exploring of 
opportunities for regulatory and policy alignment, should be pursued where possible ; 
− This collabo rative work shoul d promote constructive dialogue  with trading partners and 
agricultural  stakeholders on potential trade issues related to precision biotechnology, so 
as to support open and fair trade  and encourage research and innovation ; 
− Public communicat ion efforts can build trust in regulatory frameworks and improve the 
acceptability of future agricultural innovations that will help farmers address global 
challenges with a view to  the production of abundant, safe and affordable food, feed, 
fibres , and en ergy in the 21st century . 
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