The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) unveiled a Plant and Animal Biotechnology Innovation Action Plan, designed to spur advances in agriculture, in late October 2018.

The plan lays out priorities in three key areas: 1) advancing human and animal health by promoting product innovation and applying modern, efficient and risk-based regulatory pathways; 2) strengthening public outreach and communication regarding the FDA’s approach to innovative plant and animal biotechnology; and 3) increasing engagement with domestic and international partners on biotechnology issues.

“Innovations in plant and animal biotechnology offer tremendous opportunities for advancing public health. Promising new technologies that can edit animal and plant genomes have the potential to improve human and animal health, animal well-being, food productivity and food security,” said FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb.