WASHINGTON -- A U.S. Department of Agriculture advisorycommittee today was to recommend its final version ofguidelines for researchers who conduct field studies withgenetically modified organisms.

The recommendation by the USDA's Agricultural BiotechnologyResearch Advisory Committee (ABRAC) comes six years afterthe USDA originally proposed that the guidelines be developed.

Completion of the guidelines has been delayed by failure toresolve a philosophical debate involving two White House units,the Office of Management and Budget and the Council onCompetitiveness, about the underlying principles for regulationof biotechnology.

Some federal agencies have proposed additional guidelines fortechnologies that involve genetically modifying organisms. Butmembers of the OMB and the competitiveness council haveopposed any additional regulations that would distinguishmodern biotechnologies from other industries, includingtraditional plant breeding, on the ground that this wouldpenalize the new industries.

The debate is being played out in disagreements about thescope of the definition of biotechnology as applied to theguidelines.

ABRAC has proposed using the term "genetically modifiedorganisms" in the definition because it is a widely acceptedterm within the scientific community. However, the WhiteHouse has insisted on the term "organisms with deliberatelymodified hereditary traits," said Dr. Bennie Osburn, ABRACchairman and associate dean of research at the University ofCalifornia, Davis, veterinary school.

"There's a concern that if we made this (definition) too broad, itwill slow down the transfer of technology," Osburn toldBioWorld. "But in our minds, we think we are trying tofacilitate the transfer of technology and information. One wayis to use terms that are acceptable in the scientific community."

In the meantime, some researchers and government officialssaid lack of governmentwide, well-understood definitions andguidelines for field tests is retarding academic research anddevelopment.

"I can say for my institution we're not going to be doing anyresearch until those guidelines come out," said ABRAC memberFrank Whitmore, professor at Ohio State University'sAgricultural Research and Development Center.

To address the possibility that its guidelines may never beapproved and published, ABRAC on Tuesday formed asubcommittee that was to recommend today whether ABRACshould publish its proposed guidelines independently of thefederal government.

-- Kris Herbst BioWorld Washington Bureau

(c) 1997 American Health Consultants. All rights reserved.