USDA Approves Low Gossypol GE Cotton

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service has deregulated Texas A&M’s cotton variety genetically engineered to have ultra-low levels of gossypol (goss-e-pull) in its seed. Gossypol is a naturally occurring compound in the pigment of cotton plants and protects them from pests and diseases. This genetically engineered variety, according to USDA, maintains protective levels of gossypol in the plants, but the compound is significantly reduced in the seed. This benefits agriculture by lowering cottonseed oil refining costs, and potentially expands the use of cottonseed in the livestock and aquaculture feed industries, as well as for human food uses. The move follows a public comment period that was opened in August. APHIS concluded in its final assessment that this variety of GE cotton is unlikely to pose a plant pest risk to agricultural crops or other plants in the United States and is deregulating this variety of GE cotton.