OAK BROOK, Ill. – Genetically modified organisms, or GMOs, are an important part of our food supply. Today, over 90 percent of corn, upland cotton, and soybeans are produced using genetically engineered (GE) seed varieties in the U.S.

Understanding the principles of plant genetics has been a scientific staple since the late 1800s when biologist Gregor Mendel discovered how pea plants inherit certain traits. While the GMOs of yore were typically created by selectively and intensely breeding plant lines to express desired traits, technological advancements like transgenics and genome editing have allowed farmers and researchers to create GMOs more precisely with advanced traits like pesticide and disease resistance. Researchers and experts gathered on an online Farm Foundation Forum to discuss the latest advancements earlier in November.

The improvements that can be made to plants and animals through genetic engineering are seemingly limitless. One example is CoverCress, a crop that was created by genetically modifying field pennycress. Field pennycress is a common agricultural weed that has been transformed through gene editing tools to become a renewable oilseed and animal feed crop. Over nine years of breeding, selection, gene editing, and field trials have made what was once a pesky weed into a new-to-market rotational cash crop that contains 30 percent oil and a protein composition like canola. The crop also has an ultra-low carbon intensity score and is a winter cover crop.

In rice plants, researchers have used CRISPR-based gene editing, a type of biotechnology that uses an enzyme to cut DNA from an organism to allow certain genes to express, to modify rice plants to improve nitrogen fixation in the soil. With a couple of genes knocked out of its DNA, the rice plants were able to produce more apigenin, a compound that attracts nitrogen-fixing bacteria. The bacteria help to convert free nitrogen into ammonia for the plants to use, which reduces the use of inorganic nitrogen fertilizers.

Earlier this year, a new type of mustard greens became the first CRISPR-edited food available on the U.S. market. Researchers from a company called Pairwise removed genes from mustard greens to make them tastier while still retaining their nutritional value in the hopes that consumers might opt for mustard greens over less nutritional iceberg lettuce.

Livestock are also being genetically modified, although there are currently only two approved applications of genetic technology in animals in the U.S. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved the sale of AquAdvantage Salmon, which are salmon genetically modified to reach an important growth point faster, and the GalSafe pig, which is a genetically modified pig that is free of detectable alpha-gal sugar on its cell surface to reduce allergic reactions in people with Alpha-gal syndrome.

Alison Van Eenennaam, professor of cooperative extension, animal biotechnology, and genomics at the University of California, Davis, said that most commonly, farmers and researchers are interested in genetically modifying livestock to increase their yield, but other beneficial modifications can be made. She said that research groups are focused on disease resistance, creating hypoallergenic animals that are missing proteins that make people allergic to milk and eggs, creating animals that can withstand high temperatures, and dairy cattle that don’t grow horns so that they don’t have to be dehorned.

Despite all the benefits and growing interest in GMOs in agriculture, experts are concerned that current policies and regulations that the government imposes may slow progress. Across the globe, different authorities impose and enforce regulations on GE crops and animals to ensure safety. A big problem, however, is that each authority has its own set of rules that farmers and researchers must navigate with associated costs and barriers to market.

For example, in the U.S., the FDA, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and USDA all have sets of regulations they enforce for products of biotechnology based on their use. The USDA makes sure that GMO plants are not harmful to other plants and has a set of exemptions for GMO plants whose modifications could occur through conventional breeding which is enacted through a voluntary confirmation process. The EPA regulates plant-incorporated protectants or modifications to plants that make them resistant to insects and disease which is enforced through a mandatory notification and confirmation process. Finally, the FDA regulates all foods to ensure that they meet certain safety standards, but there are currently no mandatory requirements for GMOs to be approved directly by the FDA.

Confused yet? So are farmers and scientists trying to get their products to market. Policies and regulations are important to ensure the safety of crops, livestock, and the people that eat them. However, the lack of consistency between agencies on how GMOs are meant to be regulated stalls a lot of innovation from being available to farmers and the public.

“What (uncertain regulations) ends up doing is creating a long and laborious process to bring products to market, and what that does is it delays innovation and is inhibitory toward smaller players trying to innovate,” Richard Lawrence, head of genome editing, yield, disease, and quality research at Bayer Crop Science, said.

Fan-Li Chou, senior vice president of scientific affairs and policy at the American Seed Trade Association, said that there is a lot that could be done in the U.S. framework to improve understanding between the three agencies so that the path to approval is more certain and clearcut, but it hasn’t happened yet.

“There is a constant need to provide clarity and streamlining for both the animal and plant sector so these homegrown innovations, these American discoveries, can have American benefits,” she said.