Skip to main content Skip to main navigation Skip to search
Home

Top navigation main

  • News & media
  • Jobs
  • Ministers
  • Contact us
Main menu

AWE Main

  • Agriculture and land
    Agriculture and land Building stronger and more sustainable agriculture, fisheries, forestry and land care.
    • Animal health
    • Climate change and agriculture
    • Drought, disaster and rural support
    • Farming, food and drought
    • Fisheries
    • Forestry
    • Levies and charges on agricultural products
    • Mouse infestation advice
    • Plant health
    Xylella

    Protect against unwanted plant pests

    Our biosecurity system helps protects us. Everyone has a role in supporting our biosecurity system.

    Find out more

  • Biosecurity and trade
    Biosecurity and trade
    • Aircraft, vessels and military
    • Biosecurity policy
    • Cats and dogs
    • Exporting
    • Importing
    • Pests, diseases and weeds
    • Public awareness and education
    • Trade and market access
    • Travelling or sending goods to Australia
    • Report a concern
    Brown marmorated stink bug

    BMSB Seasonal Measures

    Australia has strengthened seasonal measures to manage the risk of BMSB.

    View our seasonal measures

  • Science and research
    Science and research Undertaking research and collecting data to support informed decisions and policies.
    • Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics and Sciences (ABARES)
    • Plant Innovation Centre
    Abares

    ABARES Insights

    Get 'snapshots’ of agricultural, forestry and fisheries industries, or analysis of key issues.

    Find out more

  • About us
    About us We enhance our agricultural industries and trade, and manage the threat of biosecurity risks to Australia.
    • Accountability and reporting
    • Assistance, grants and tenders
    • Contact us
    • Fees and charges
    • News and media
    • Our commitment to you
    • Payments
    • People and jobs
    • Publications
    • What we do
    • Who we are
    Budget 2025-26

    Budget 2025-26

    The 2025–26 Portfolio Budget Statements were released on 25 March 2025.

    Find out more

  • Online services
    Online services We do business with you using online platforms. This makes it easier for you to meet your legal requirements.
Department of Agriculture

Breadcrumb

  1. Home
  2. Agriculture and land
  3. Farming, food and rural support
  4. Biotechnology
  5. International Statement on Agricultural Applications of Precision Biotechnology

Sidebar first - Farming

  • Biotechnology
    • Biotechnology reports, articles, brochures and factsheets
    • International Statement on Low Level Presence
    • Joint Statement on Innovative Agricultural Production Technologies, particularly Plant Biotechnologies
    • Regulatory framework in Australia
    • Useful links
    • International Statement on Agricultural Applications of Precision Biotechnology
    • Biotechnology and agriculture in Australia: policy snapshot

International Statement on Agricultural Applications of Precision Biotechnology

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 compared to other breeding methods. Farmers continually need to broaden access to new tools to improve productivity, plant and animal health, and environmental sustainability; and to help address global challenges such as climate change, pest and disease pressures, 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 sector and by small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and mitigate against unintended, unnecessary barriers to entry of agriculture products.

In some cases, precision biotechnology, such as gene editing, may generate organisms with characteristics similar to those obtainable through conventional breeding. In other cases, 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 existing safety standards based upon the characteristics of the product or organism.

Governments are engaging in policy discussions on regulatory frameworks and global regulatory compatibility to encourage cross border research collaboration and to minimize potential disruptions to trade. Differing domestic regulatory approaches for products derived from precision biotechnology 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 undersigned governments acknowledge that:

  • Precision biotechnology products have the potential to play a critical role in addressing challenges facing agriculture 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 introduce useful products into the market, especially by SMEs and public sector researchers, are necessary to fully realize the promise of precision biotechnology.
  • Given the differences internationally in approaches used to assess agriculture biotechnology, due consideration should be given by governments to avoid arbitrary and unjustifiable distinctions between end-products derived from precision biotechnology and similar end-products that are obtained through other production methods.
  • To ensure appropriate science- and risk-based approaches consistent with protection of human, animal and plant health and the environment, due consideration should be given to the available sound scientific and technical information when updating or applying existing regulatory frameworks to products from precision biotechnology, and when using available flexibility within existing regulatory frameworks for agricultural products.
  • Regulatory approaches necessary to help ensure the safety (for humans, animals, plants, and the environment) related to products derived from precision biotechnology should be science- and risk-based, transparent, predictable, timely, and consistent with relevant international trade obligations.
  • Cooperative work by governments to minimize unnecessary barriers to trade related to the regulatory oversight of products of precision biotechnology, including by exploring opportunities for regulatory and policy alignment, should be pursued where possible.
  • This collaborative work should promote constructive dialogues with trading partners and agriculture stakeholders on potential trade issues related to precision biotechnology, to support open and fair trade, and to encourage research and innovation.
  • Public communication efforts can build trust in regulatory frameworks and improve the acceptability of future agricultural innovations that help farmers address the global challenges for production of abundant, safe and affordable food, feed, fiber, and energy in the 21st century.

Supporting Governments:

  • Argentina
  • Australia
  • Brazil
  • Canada
  • Guatemala
  • Honduras
  • Paraguay
  • United States
​

General enquiries

Call 1800 900 090

Contact us online

Report a biosecurity concern

Thanks for your feedback.
Thanks! Your feedback has been submitted.

We aren't able to respond to your individual comments or questions.
To contact us directly phone us or submit an online inquiry

CAPTCHA
This question is for testing whether or not you are a human visitor and to prevent automated spam submissions.

Please verify that you are not a robot.

Skip
Page last updated: 04 November 2019

We acknowledge the continuous connection of First Nations Traditional Owners and Custodians to the lands, seas and waters of Australia. We recognise their care for and cultivation of Country. We pay respect to Elders past and present, and recognise their knowledge and contribution to the productivity, innovation and sustainability of Australia’s agriculture, fisheries and forestry industries.

Artwork: Protecting our Country, Growing our Future
© Amy Allerton, contemporary Aboriginal Artist of the Gumbaynggirr, Bundjalung and Gamilaroi nations.

Footer

  • Contact us
  • Accessibility
  • Disclaimer
  • Privacy
  • FOI

© Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry

Facebook X LinkedIn Instagram