China delays GM crop certificate renewal  

3转基因作物安全证书未获批复

国仅有的转基因主粮作物——两个转基因水稻作物的安全证书，以及一个转基因玉米作物的安全证书，在今年8月17日同时过期。昨日在位处廊坊的中国农科院万庄试验基地，中国农科院生物技术研究所研究人员称，转基因玉米作物安全证书在等待地方农业厅批复。记者另外从多渠道获悉，研发转基因水稻的华中农大已经向农业部递交续申请，但过了8月17日节点仍未得到批复。[查看全文]

(ECNS) -- China's developers of certified genetically modified (GM) rice and corn have yet to obtain renewed safety certificates nearly 20 days after the old ones expired, the Beijing News reported.

The safety certificates for two kinds of GM rice and one type of Monsanto brand GM corn - the only three types of GM food that still had national GM certificates - expired on August 17.

The Biotechnology Research Institute at the China Academy of Agricultural Sciences, which developed certified GM corn, said they had submitted documents to the Shandong provincial agriculture department, which must approve all field experiments there.

A departmental officer surnamed Tan noted that he was aware that these documents had been issued, but would not say why they had not been accepted.

Team researchers said they have been preparing to renew certificates since the end of last year, but haven't submitted the application to the Ministry of Agriculture due to a lack of necessary documents.

However, the Wuhan-based Huazhong Agricultural University, which developed certified GM rice, said last month that they had submitted documents to the ministry long before the expiration date, but the application had still not been approved.

The deadline for submitting GM certificate applications to the ministry in the second half of each year is September 30, and the ministry is required to notify applicants about whether their applications have been accepted within two months.

Huang Dafang, researcher at the Biotechnology Research Institute, and also a member of the country's GM organisms safety committee, said some officials are cautious about the issue and have delayed the procedure because of public opinion.

Cai Jingjing, another researcher at the institute, said the slowed pace of industrialization could discourage research.