The USDA has concluded its regulatory status review of Pairwise genome edited blackberries with novel seedless, compact, and thornless traits and determined that the fruit will be treated with the same regulations as conventionally bred plants.
Following this determination, Dan Jenkins, Pairwise Vice President, Regulatory and Government Affairs, offered the following statement:
“Pairwise commends the USDA’s recent determination that our seedless, compact, and thornless blackberries will be treated with the same regulations as conventionally bred plants. The precision and efficacy of gene editing allows us to reach the same end result as with traditional breeding, only much faster. We recently announced the achievements of these blackberry traits, and this important regulatory milestone will allow us to continue developing this new fruit variety that will deliver improved convenience to consumers, better grower economics, and sustainability benefits for the environment. We applaud the USDA for the efficiency with which they delivered this determination, and appreciate their thorough, science-based review.”
