§5921 Biotechnology risk assessment research

Summary

The Secretary of Agriculture must create a grant program in the National Institute of Food and Agriculture and the Agricultural Research Service to pay for environmental research on genetically engineered animals, plants, and microorganisms. Priority goes to work that finds ways to reduce physical and biological risks, tracks how engineered organisms spread, studies how genes move between engineered and wild or farm species, compares environmental impacts with other production systems, and other research that supports these goals. Grants must be awarded based on the quality of the proposed project and can go to any public or private research or education organization. The Secretary must consult with the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service and the National Agricultural Research advisory board, and coordinate with the EPA’s research office to avoid duplicate projects. Congress may provide whatever funding is needed, and the Secretary must set aside at least 2 percent of the Department’s biotechnology research funds for these grants, using them as much as possible across the priority areas.