Source:  POLITICO'S MORNING AGRICULTURE, 3/14/19

Livestock groups are rallying a call to move regulation of genetically engineered animals from the FDA to USDA, potentially setting up another jurisdictional face-off, our Liz Crampton reports this morning.

Currently, FDA has control over reviewing the safety of GE animals while USDA handles GE plants. But animal ag groups say FDA's framework lacks clarity and the process is a slow-go — they point to the fact the agency has cleared just one genetically engineered animal, AquaAdvantage salmon (a process that lasted more than 20 years).

The pork industry is taking the lead in part because gene-edited hogs that are resistant to certain diseases are expected to be commercially available in the next couple of years. Farmers and scientists are particularly excited about the possibility of resistance to Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome, a disease that costs the industry hundreds of millions of dollars annually.

Countries taking action: Supporters of the move say it's an urgent issue because other countries have signed off on GE animals, namely Brazil and Argentina, putting U.S. producers at a competitive disadvantage.

A roadmap: Advocates were encouraged by the joint USDA-FDA agreement for handling regulation of cell-based meat, and they say the shared arrangement could provide a guide for how the biotech animals debate might play out.

In its review of biotech plants, USDA set a goal of streamlining regulations to help products to get to market faster. Animal ag groups are hopeful the department would take the same approach for GE animals.