The reporter learned from the Agriculture Department of Hainan Province that in order to protect the agricultural ecological security in Hainan and promote the sustainable development of agriculture, Hainan has comprehensively strengthened the supervision of genetically modified crop tests and planting.
With the rapid development of biotechnology, some domestic research institutes have been approved by the Ministry of Agriculture to carry out genetic testing in the breeding bases in South China, which has effectively promoted the improvement of the level of genetic research in China. In recent years, more and more scientific research units have come to Hainan to engage in breeding experiments of genetically modified crops, and the regulatory work is faced with multiple problems.
For the regulation of GM crop tests and planting, the state has issued a number of regulations. Hainan Province began conducting law enforcement inspections in the province since 2007. Recently, Hainan Provincial Department of Agriculture has taken several measures to further increase the supervision of genetically modified crops. First, it has strengthened the supervision of key links, actively planned the "Southampton Gene Transfer Public Experiment Base" project, and conducted research on genetically modified organisms in the breeding breeding bases in South China. Centralized management to prevent the drift of genes; Second, the province will hold training sessions on genetically-modified biosafety supervision across the province, systematically train agricultural genetically-modified biosafety supervision law enforcement officers and all personnel engaged in R&D of genetically modified organisms in the province; and thirdly, participate in provincial-level certifications. The new varieties were tested for genetically modified components. New varieties with positive test results were withheld and sealed according to the law. Units with transgenic varieties posing as provincial-level new varieties and regional trials were also investigated.
In addition, for the cultivation of genetically modified crops, the province will conduct a comprehensive investigation and order relevant units to apply for the production safety certificate for genetically modified organisms to the agricultural sector. For units and individuals who do not declare overdue, they will be given a heavier punishment in accordance with relevant regulations once they are identified.
Xiao Jie, head of the Hainan Provincial Department of Agriculture, said that Hainan is the only tropical province in the country. The breeding and breeding base in South China has become a national cradle of excellent seeds. Strengthening the supervision of genetically modified crops is of great significance to Hainan and even to the nation’s biological safety. Hainan will focus on this task to ensure that the national regulations on GM crop supervision are implemented in the field. (Zhao Yeping)