ISLAMABAD, May 8: The government has notified the biosafety rules to check movement of harmful Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) and benefit from useful organisms to enhance agricultural produce. These rules will apply to GMOs like agricultural produces, seeds, plants, crops, and animals, and allow their import after risk assessment according to global standards.

According to a notification, the government will constitute a national biosafety committee, a technical advisory committee and institutional biosafety committees. Institutions and organizations, engaged in biotechnology or genetic manipulation work, will appoint or designate biosafety officers.

The officers will assist and coordinate with the biosafety committees to review on regular basis the operating procedures and biosafety records, and to assess the integrity of containment facilities and safety equipment/utilities.

Commenting on the new biosafety rules, Minister for Environment Maj (retired) Tahir Iqbal termed notification of the rules a big achievement, and hoped that a new era of progress would usher in the agriculture sector.

These rules will provide food security, improve existing crops and protect these from attacks of pests and other diseases, he added.

He said the rules provided that no person shall import, export, sell, purchase or trade living modified organisms, substances or cells and products without obtaining a license from the Pakistan Environmental Protection Agency (Pepa) through an application prepared in conformity with the biosafety guidelines.

Under these rules, any person to whom a license would be granted shall notify to the federal agency and the national biosafety committee of any change or addition to the already submitted information. However, the information described by the applicant as confidential shall be protected from disclosure.

“The National Biosafety Committee shall ensure that risk assessment is carried out in accordance with the biosafety guidelines for all activities that require a license,” the minister said.

He said these rules were aimed at altering plants to produce novel products, solve environmental problems and treat genetic disorders.

These rules provide that licenses granted by Pepa shall not take effect until the applicant gave an undertaking and assumed the legal duty of complying with applicable provisions of biosafety guidelines.—APP