During a recent listening session on competition in the seek industry, American Soybean Association Presient Brad Doyle said growers support steps to enable greater market participation and innovation in the seed industry.

“New technologies, such as gene editing, will enable greater grower access to new traits and improved germplasm,” Doyle said. “In turn, these valuable tools will help U.S. agriculture tackle significant societal challenges, such as global food security, climate change, among others.”

Doyle said maintaining a pro-innovation regulatory strategy, reducing entry barriers and increasing the variety of innovations breeders and developers can bring to market are key to achieving these goals.

ASA encouraged USDA to continue building out its list of scientifically justifiable, low-risk exemptions under the SECURE Rule and urged it to work with co-regulators to establish a coordinated, pro-innovation approach to these technologies.

ASA supports limited periods of exclusivity and intellectual property protection for value-added innovations to continue to spur research and development.

“If there is no incentive for breeding new varieties or developing new traits, these activities will cease and U.S. farmers will lose an essential tool needed to grow productively and sustainably,” Doyle said.