USDA APHIS issues regulatory status review responses: Covercress & Pairwise Plant Services

Date:08-05-2024

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) recently reviewed the following plants modified using genetic engineering to determine whether they posed an increased plant pest risk as relative to non-modified comparators:

• Pairwise Plant Services, blackberry with altered product quality. 

• Covercress, two pennycress with altered product quality and herbicide resistance. 

APHIS found these modified plants were unlikely to pose an increased plant pest risk compared to other cultivated plants. As a result, they are not subject to regulation under 7 CFR part 340. From a plant pest risk perspective, these modified plants may be safely grown and bred in the United States. 

View the RSR Table

View the Plant-Trait Mechanism of Action Table