USDA has now reopened the comment period on its notice of proposed rulemaking USDA published in December which stated USDA would be the agency responsible for regulating animals produced via genetic modification.
The comment period on USDA's notice ended February 28. But USDA today published a notice in the Federal Register that they have reopened the comment period and it will now close May 7 on the proposed rulemaking “establishing regulations for the movement of certain animals modified or developed by genetic engineering.”
The action by USDA took some by surprise as it marked the agency wresting control of the issue from FDA.
It is not clear whether the reopened comment period reflects any potential shift back to FDA on the topic.