Which agencies regulate the environmental safety of GE crops?
If a crop has been engineered to make its own pesticide (such as the Bt corn or Bt cotton), then the EPA reviews and approves the safety of that crop before it is commercialized. In its regulatory process, EPA performs a risk assessment to determine the benefits and risks to the environment from the crop and imposes any conditions it believes are needed to minimize or eliminate any potential harmful effects on the environment. EPA’s approval process also assesses the safety to humans and animals if they eat the pesticidal compound. EPA establishes a safe tolerance level below which the pesticide is considered safe. For all other genetically engineered crops (such as herbicide-resistant canola or soybeans), USDA is responsible for ensuring that growing those crops will not have an adverse effect on agriculture or the environment. USDA has established a notification and permitting process for field trials with engineered crops that developers must comply with before planting any GE crop
