USDA offers one-stop biotechnology shop online

The Agriculture Department today unveiled a new World Wide Web site that provides the public with an information clearinghouse on biotechnology and the department's role in regulating biotechnology in the United States.

There are hundreds of sites on the Web devoted to biotechnology issues, according to the USDA. The new site will give the general public, academia, industry, the media and international partners a starting point to access information about the USDA's role in agricultural biotechnology.

The USDA, along with the Environmental Protection Agency and the Food and Drug Administration, is responsible primarily for regulating biotechnology in the United States. Within the USDA, several agencies are involved in biotechnology issues, including the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, the Food Safety Inspection Service and the Agricultural Marketing Service, all of which have regulatory responsibilities involving biotechnology.

The new site, located at www.aphis.usda.gov/biotechnology, includes answers to the most frequently asked questions about biotechnology, reference pages covering biotechnology and trade, regulations and research, as well as links to other government agencies involved with biotechnology.