Brazil and Argentina advance cooperation in the regulation of biotechnological products

Date:08-08-2022

The Brazilian National Technical Commission on Biosafety (CTNBio) of the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovations (MCTI) participated on 14th-15th, July, in Buenos Aires, in a meeting with authorities from the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries from Argentina. The two countries agreed to advance an agenda on the regulation of biotechnology products. The idea is that a future bilateral memorandum of understanding will be signed to define the terms of cooperation.

The meeting of cooperation and exchange between regulatory agencies of biosafety and biotechnology of the two countries was also attended by the Ministry of Agriculture and the Embassy of Brazil in Argentina. The objective was to identify actions that benefit the improvement of future applications of scientific and technological developments in both countries.
 
The meeting also promoted the exchange of information on processes and regulations in the evaluation of products with Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs). The two delegations highlighted the similarities in the approach, regulatory frameworks and processes of both countries in terms of risk assessment of GMOs.
 
The countries also surveyed the history of cooperation and identified challenges and opportunities for articulation and coordination between regulatory agencies in Brazil and Argentina. The meeting concluded with the leaders highlighting the strategic role of the region and agreeing to continue advancing in a joint agenda of cooperation in the area of regulation in agri-biotechnology.
 
CTNBio is a multidisciplinary collegiate body whose purpose is to provide advisory technical support and advice in the formulation, updating and implementation of the National Biosafety Policy related to GMOs, as well as in the establishment of technical safety standards and technical opinions regarding the protection of human health, of living organisms and the environment, for activities involving the construction, experimentation, cultivation, manipulation, transport, commercialization, consumption, storage, release and disposal of GMOs and derivatives.