The government has notified the biosafety rules to have vigilance on the movement of harmful Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) and benefit from useful organisms for enhancing agricultural produce. These rules will apply to genetically modified organisms like agricultural produces, seeds, plants, crops, animals and other GMOs and allow their import after risk assessment according to global standards. Under the official notification, the government will be constituting National Biosafety Committee, Technical Advisory Committee and Institutional Biosafety Committees while the institutions and organisations, engaged in biotechnology or genetic manipulation work, will appoint or designate a Bio-Safety Officers.
Such officers will assist and liaison with Institution Biosafety Committee to review on regular basis, the operating procedures and biosafety records, and to assay the integrity of containment facilities and safety equipment or utilities.
Commenting on the new Biosafety rules, Minister for Environment, Major Tahir Iqbal (Retd) termed the issuance of rules as a big achievement and hoped that a new era of progress will usher in the agricultural field.
"These rules will provide food security, improve existing plant crops and protect crops from attacks of pests and other diseases," he said.
He said the rules provide that no person shall import, export, sell, purchase or trade living modified organisms, substances or cells and products without obtaining license from the Federal Agency (Pak-EPA) 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 information already submitted.
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 added.
He said risk assessment, including the auditing of risk assessments and evaluation of proposed risk management assessment is carried out in accordance with the biosafety guidelines for all activities that require a license.
The minister said, these rules were aimed at altering plants to produce novel products, solve environmental problems and treat genetic disorders.
These rules provide that a decision on the applications shall be made and communicated to the applicants within 60 days for risk category 2 and 3 contained use activities, 90 days for experimental releases and 120 days for commercialisation, in light of the information set forth in application, scientific risk assessment and prior field experience with the living modified organisms in Pakistan.
License granted by the Federal Agency (Pak-EPA) shall not take effect until the applicant executes an undertaking and assumes the legal duty to comply with applicable provisions of biosafety guidelines.
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