Plant Biosafety
The Plant Biosafety Office (PBO) is responsible for regulating the
environmental release of plants with novel traits (PNTs).
The PBO works closely with
the Biotechnology Environmental Release Assessment unit (BERA), which is
responsible for environmental safety assessments of PNTs.
What is a PNT?
A PNT is a plant that
contains a trait which is both new to the Canadian environment and has the
potential to affect the specific use and safety of the plant with respect to
the environment and human health. These traits can be introduced using
biotechnology, mutagenesis, or conventional breeding techniques and have some
potential to impact weediness, gene flow, plant pest potential, non-target
organisms, or biodiversity.
CFIA responsibilities include:
- approval of unconfined release of PNTs
- approval and inspection of confined research field trials of PNTs
- assessment of import applications for PNTs
- development of domestic regulatory policies related to the environmental
release of PNTs
- development of internationally aligned regulatory policies through
participation in various international forums
The key acts and regulations we enforce are:
Information we provide to the plant industry and
scientific community includes:
Additional government and industry information can be
found at:
- Other Government of Canada Bodies Which Regulate Genetically Modified
Plants
- General Information on Biotechnology and Biosafety in Canada
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