The Life Sciences Caucus met Monday, Sept. 18, at 12 p.m. at the Plant Sciences Building on the North Carolina State University Centennial Campus.

Agriculture is a key economic driver in NC. So, too, is the life sciences industry, where agtech has been growing rapidly. When those two sectors align, it can be of real benefit to the state.

Members of the Agriculture and the Environment team at the Biotechnology Innovation Organization were on hand to give an overview of both federal issues and state issues affecting the agbio and environmental industries.

• Federal issues discussed included the U.S.-Mexico trade dispute over an upcoming import ban on genetically engineered corn, recent U.S. EPA plant incorporated protectants regulation and the Plant Biostimulants Act in the Farm Bill.
• Issues moving in states throughout the country include legislation banning or restricting vaccination of livestock, incentivizing sustainable aviation fuel production and use and bills banning or restricting foreign ownership of agricultural land, which can adversely impact R&D.

Pairwise, a small gene editing company based in Durham, NC, which has a new produce product on the market, talked about EPA impediments to their business. Representatives from BASF, Hoofprint Biome, Novozymes and Syngenta were also available.

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Doug Edgeton, CEO, North Carolina Biotechnology Center

Dan Jenkins, Vice President, Regulatory and Government Affairs, Pairwise

Sen. Mike Woodard and Rep. Donna White, co-chairs of the Life Sciences Caucus