§5841 — Title 7 Agriculture | U.S. Code

Summary

The Secretary of Agriculture must set up a National Genetic Resources Program run by the Agricultural Research Service. The program will collect, preserve, study, and share genetic material that matters for U.S. food and farming. The program must research how to store materials, coordinate with similar U.S. efforts, and, unless the law forbids it, give out its collected genetic material for free on request to anyone. It should include plants (including forest species), animals, aquatic life, insects, microbes, and other important types. It must create and carry out a national plan to assess and use germplasm and cultivars and to reduce the backlog of work to describe and maintain stored samples; the Secretary may add other activities as funds allow.

Title 7, §5841

Agriculture — Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)The Secretary of Agriculture shall provide for a National Genetic Resources Program.

(b)The program is established for the purpose of maintaining and enhancing a program providing for the collection, preservation, and dissemination of genetic material of importance to American food and agriculture production.

(c)The program shall be administered by the Secretary through the Agricultural Research Service.

(d)The Secretary, acting through the program, shall—

(1)provide for the collection, classification, preservation, and dissemination of genetic material of importance to the food and agriculture sectors of the United States;

(2)conduct research on the genetic materials collected and on methods for storage and preservation of those materials;

(3)coordinate the activities of the program with similar activities occurring domestically;

(4)unless otherwise prohibited by law, have the right to make available on request, without charge and without regard to the country from which the request originates, the genetic material that the program assembles;

(5)expand the types of genetic resources included in the program to develop a comprehensive genetic resources program which includes plants (including silvicultural species), animal, aquatic, insect, microbiological, and other types of genetic resources of importance to food and agriculture, as resources permit;

(6)develop and implement a national strategic germplasm and cultivar collection assessment and utilization plan that takes into consideration the resources and research necessary to address the significant backlog of characterization and maintenance of existing accessions considered to be critical to preserve the viability of, and public access to, germplasm and cultivars; and

(7)engage in such other activities as the Secretary determines appropriate and as the resources of the program permit.

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

Amendments

2018—Subsec. (d)(6), (7). Pub. L. 115–334 added par. (6) and redesignated former par. (6) as (7). 1996—Subsec. (d)(4). Pub. L. 104–127 added par. (4) and struck out former par. (4) which read as follows: “make available upon request, without charge and without regard to the country from which such request originates, the genetic material which the program assembles;”.

§5841 Establishment, Purpose, and Functions of National Genetic Resources Program

Summary

Title 7, §5841

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

Amendments

Citations & Metadata