02_OECD work on Biotechnology_ Issue No. 44 - March 2024

Internal Co-ordination Group for Biotechnology
BIOTECHNOLOGY UPDATE
March 2024 - ICGB Newsletter No. 44
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ICGB Newsletter No. 44, March 2024

This newsletter provides up-to-date information on activities related to biotechnology or the life sciences
more generally at the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). It is mainly
intended for OECD staff and delegates to OECD meetings who are already familiar with certain aspects
of the Organisation’s work. We hope that it is also informative for the wider biotech community.
The contents of this ‘Biotechnology Update’ newsletter have been provided by those members of
the OECD Secretariat who are responsible for the various activities. The Secretariat can be contacted
via the e-mail address: ehscont@oecd.org. Alternatively, individuals can be contacted via e-mail using
the form firstname.lastname@oecd.org (See Who’s Who list at the end of the newsletter).
Visit the OECD Biotechnology Update website to access the latest news and previous editions.
ABOUT OECD’S INTERNAL CO -ORDINATION GROUP FOR BIOTECHNOLOGY

(ICGB)
The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and its member countries
have been addressing issues related to biotechnology since 1982.
From that time, biotechnology has had an increasing impact on the programmes of different sectors at
OECD such as: agriculture and trade; environment; science, technology and innovation. In 1993, the
Internal Co-ordination Group for Biotechnology (ICGB) was established to facilitate co-ordination among
these sectors.
Jane Richardson, Head of OECD’s Biosafety, Novel Foods/Feeds Safety and Pesticides Programmes
is the Executive Secretary of the ICGB, and the editor of the ICGB Newsletter with the contribution of
Satoshi Nakano.
Contacts : Jane Richardson, Satoshi Nakano (ENV/EHS)

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GREEN GROWTH AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
The 2023 OECD Green Growth and Sustainable Development (GGSD) Forum on “Navigating the
twin transitions: Going green and digital” was held on 21-22 November 2023 at the OECD Conference
Centre.
Under this overarching theme, the Forum addressed the joint impact of the twin transitions on
competitiveness of sectors and regions, labour conditions, and how to ensure that no-one is left behind.
The Forum also focused on how digital technologies can improve the design, monitoring and
enforcement of environmental policies, and how SMEs can emerge more resilient, innovative and
competitive from these societal transformations. Finally, the Forum discussed the role of digital
technologies in ensuring smart and sustainable cities, and the possible implications for international
cooperation on green growth of the changes in the international landscape since the adoption of the UN
2030 SDG Agenda and the Paris Agreement.
The recordings of the sessions are available on the Forum website.
Contacts: Ben Henderson, Enrico Botta (ENV)
Website: https://www.oecd.org/greengrowth/ggsd-forum.htm

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FOOD SYSTEMS
Background
The term “food systems” refers to all the elements and activities that relate to the production, processing,
distribution, preparation and consumption of food, and the effects of these activities. The emphasis on
“food systems” highlights the importance of potential synergies and trade-offs across different policy
domains which have often been treated in silos – e.g. public health and nutrition, the environment,
poverty and rural development. Food systems matter not only for food security and nutrition, and for the
livelihoods of those involved in them, but also for environmental sustainability. The United Nations
organised a UN Food Systems Summit in September 2021, and OECD published a major report on
Making Better Policies for Food Systems (2021).
Following the publication of Making Better Policies for Food Systems, OECD work on food systems
tackled the question of evidence gaps on food systems. A first paper, Overcoming Evidence Gaps on
Food Systems, set out the challenges. Four papers then explore evidence gaps on food insecurity and
food assistance, gender and food systems, and environmental impacts along food supply chains and
how to improve them.
Ongoing work on food systems
In 2023-24, OECD work on food systems will take stock of policies to reduce food loss and waste, and
will assess practical approaches to strengthen resilience in food systems. Furthermore, OECD work will
explore the possibilities and challenges involved in measuring and communicating environmental
impacts of food.
As part of this work, in April 2023, the OECD Global Forum on Agriculture explored the topic of carbon
footprints for food systems. A recording of the scene-setting presentation, outlining the various initiatives
to measure and communicate carbon footprints of food products; can be found here. A background
paper, “Fast and Furious: The Rise of Environmental Impact Reporting in Food Systems”, has been
published in the European Review of Agricultural Economics, see here.
The OECD Food Chain Analysis Network will study this topic in detail. A first meeting was held in June
2023 and took stock of different initiatives to measure and communicate environmental impacts
(including, but not limited to, carbon footprints). In the coming months, virtual workshops are held with
the experts to explore these issues in more depth.
Recent publications
• Deconinck, K., Jansen, M., and C. Barisone (2023), “Fast and furious: the rise of
environmental impact reporting in food systems,” European Review of Agricultural Economics,
Volume 50, Issue 4, September 2023, Pages 1310–1337, https://doi.org/10.1093/erae/jbad018
• Deconinck, K. and M. Hobeika (2022), "Improving environmental outcomes along food
supply chains: A review of initiatives and their effectiveness", OECD Food, Agriculture and
Fisheries Papers, No. 186, OECD Publishing, Paris, https://doi.org/10.1787/d549eb43-en.
• Deconinck, K. and L. Toyama (2022), "Environmental impacts along food supply chains:
Methods, findings, and evidence Gaps", OECD Food, Agriculture and Fisheries Papers, No.
185, OECD Publishing, Paris, https://doi.org/10.1787/48232173-en.
• Giner, C., M. Hobeika and C. Fischetti (2022), "Gender and food systems: Overcoming
evidence gaps", OECD Food, Agriculture and Fisheries Papers, No. 184, OECD Publishing,
Paris, https://doi.org/10.1787/355ba4ee-en.

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• Giner, C. and O. Placzek (2022), "Food insecurity and food assistance programmes
across OECD countries: Overcoming evidence gaps", OECD Food, Agriculture and Fisheries
Papers, No. 183, OECD Publishing, Paris, https://doi.org/10.1787/42b4a7fa-en.
• OECD (2021), Making Better Policies for Food Systems, OECD Publishing, Paris
https://doi.org/10.1787/ddfba4de-en.
Contact: Koen Deconinck (TAD/ATM)

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OECD AGRICULTURE MINISTERIAL MEETING
On 3-4 November 2022, Ministers and Heads of delegations from 50 countries (represented by 30
Ministers and Vice Ministers of Agriculture) and 5 international organisations met in Paris for the OECD’s
Meeting of Agriculture Ministers, the first such meeting since April 2016.
The Ministerial, under the theme “Building sustainable agriculture and food systems in a changing
environment: Shared challenges, transformative solutions” was chaired by Minister Marie-Claude
Bibeau of Canada and Minister Damien O’Connor of New Zealand and drew over 280 participants
who engaged over a day and a half in intensive discussions on the policies and research needed to build
productive, sustainable and resilient agriculture and food systems. The inclusion of partner countries
(Argentina, Brazil, Bulgaria, Cambodia, Croatia, Kazakhstan, Peru, Romania, Senegal, South Africa
and Ukraine), along with the participation of the international organisations the Committee on World
Food Security, FAO, World Bank, WTO and Business at OECD (BIAC) enriched the debate and brought
useful perspectives to the meeting.
We were honoured to be joined by the Minister of Agrarian Policy and Food, Mykola Solskyi to hear his
virtual intervention on the impact on food systems and agriculture of Russia’s invasion. We were also
pleased that Israel announced that it will join the OECD’s Co-operative Research Programme:
Sustainable Agricultural and Food Systems (CRP).
The 2022 Ministerial event concluded with the Declaration on Transformative Solutions for Sustainable
Agriculture and Food Systems being adopted by the 38 OECD Member countries, the European Union,
as well as Bulgaria, Croatia, Peru and Romania. The Declaration articulates a shared vision for
governments on the actions needed to transform agriculture and food systems with a view to i) ensuring
food security and nutrition, ii) strengthening sustainability and iii) ensuring inclusive livelihoods. The
Declaration underlines the key role of developing transformative and innovative policies towards more
sustainable and resilient agriculture and food systems. To this end, it calls on countries to develop and
implement coherent whole-of-government policy packages, promote inclusive processes, increase
investment in research and development and infrastructure, enhance research collaboration and
knowledge sharing, strengthen international cooperation, strengthen the contribution of trade to
agriculture and food systems transformation and develop measures for local, national and global food
systems.
More information: Agriculture Ministerial - OECD Meeting of Agriculture Ministers 2022
Contact: Lee Ann Jackson (TAD/ATM)

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GLOBAL FORUM ON BIOTECHNOLOGY
The Global Forum on Biotechnology is one of 15 Global Fora created by OECD Committees. Global
Fora are not official OECD bodies1, but are best described as broad communities or networks of
stakeholders in specific areas of responsibility of one or more Committees. The capacity of
OECD Committees to accommodate non-Member Partners as Participants or Associates being limited,
the Global Fora provide platforms for peer learning and policy dialogue on issues which require
interaction with Partners world-wide. They can also promote multidisciplinary and horizontal approaches
beyond the scope of any single Committee and foster partnerships with other intergovernmental
organisations.
OECD Global Fora bring together government officials, policy analysts, business leaders, academic
experts, researchers and various other stakeholders. Many Global Forum meetings are major events,
attracting large numbers of participants from different regional and cultural backgrounds. They
contribute to create active networks of policy makers in Member and Partner economies, to build
consensus on what are the most effective policies and to identify “next-generation” issues. The principal
functions of Global Fora are to:
• Help the Committees identify relevant issues, including newly emerging ones;
• Promote a convergence of views on the Committees’ outputs among a broad range of
Members and Partners;
• Ensure that these outputs are known and used among these stakeholders;
• Share best practices in the implementation of the results.
The Global Forum on Biotechnology supports the activities and networks in the field of biotechnology
developed by 1) the Committee for Scientific and Technological Policy, and 2) the Chemicals and
Biotechnology Committee. For instance, the Global Forum on Biotechnology provides the adequate
framework to support the participation of several delegates from non-Member countries in the plenary
meetings and associated activities of the Working Party on the Harmonisation of Regulatory Oversight
in Biotechnology, as well as the Working Party for the Safety of Novel Foods and Feeds.
Website: General information on the Global Fora: http://www.oecd.org/global-

relations/globalforums/
Contact: Jane Richardson (ENV/EHS)
1Except the Global Forum on Transparency and Exchange of Information for Tax Purposes which is governed
by different rules than the OECD's other Global Fora.

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HARMONISATION OF REGULATORY OVERSIGHT IN BIOTECHNOLOGY
The OECD’s Working Party on the Harmonisation of Regulatory Oversight in Biotechnology (WP-
HROB) deals with the environmental safety of transgenic organisms (plants, animals, micro-organisms).
The work aims to ensure that the types of elements used in biosafety assessment, as well as the
methods to collect such information, are as similar as possible amongst countries. This improves mutual
understanding and harmonised practice, which in turn, increases the efficiency of the biosafety
assessment process, limits duplication of effort, while reducing barriers to trade.
The WP-HROB participants are mainly officials from OECD countries responsible for the environmental
risk/safety assessment of products derived from modern biotechnology. Observer delegations and
invited experts collaborate actively, given the use of biotech products and breeding activities worldwide.
They include candidate countries and other partner countries interested (in recent years: Argentina,
Brazil, Croatia, India, Kenya, Paraguay, Philippines, South Africa, Thailand, Uruguay, Viet Nam);
Business at OECD (BIAC); other inter-governmental and expert organisations such as FAO; UNEP; the
Convention on Biological Diversity Secretariat; the African Biosafety Network of Expertise (AUDA
NEPAD-ABNE), the Agriculture and Food Systems Institute (AFSI), the Public Research and Regulation
Initiative (PRRI). The 37th meeting of the WP-HROB was held in April 2023, with a large participation
from 39 delegations.
The publication of OECD Consensus/Guidance Documents remains a major output of the programme.
They constitute a set of practical tools for regulators and biosafety assessors dealing with new
transgenic varieties, with respect to environmental safety. The 60 Consensus Documents issued to date
address the biology of crops, trees, animals and micro-organisms, as well as selected traits that have
been introduced in plants. Other key issues in the context of environmental risk assessment are also
covered.
The consensus document on Environmental Considerations for risk/safety

assessment for the release of transgenic plants was published in July 2023,
concluding many years of discussions led by Canada and WP-HROB Bureau. The
document deals with the core of the biosafety work: it contains general information
on environmental risk/safety assessment, its key concepts and structure when
planning, and also examples gained from actual risk/safety assessment in seven
annexes. It was also included in the Safety Assessment of Transgenic Organisms
in the Environment, Volume 10 published in July 2023 as well. All these
documents are available through the OECD BioTrack website
(www.oecd.org/science/biotrack).
Works under development are as follows:

• Consensus documents:
o Revised wheat biology document (publication expected in the first half of 2024)
o Revised maize biology document
o Biology of mosquitoes Anopheles gambiae (publication expected in 2024),
Anopheles albimanus and Anopheles stephensi (new projects) where engineered strains
are being used to fight against malaria disease vectored by the insect
o Biology and use of phototrophic micro-algae for production purposes
In common with WP-SNFF:
• Update of the 1986 OECD Council Recommendation on the safety of recombinant DNA
organisms
• Enhanced information exchange on New Breeding Techniques (approved in October
2022, first Survey conducted in January 2023)

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• Moving towards “safe(r)-innovation-approach” in the context of modern biotechnology,

project approved in April 2023 following a two-year pilot project having focused on 2 case
studies.
Upcoming events
• 38th Meeting of the Working Party on the Harmonisation of Regulatory Oversight in

Biotechnology, 20-22 March 2024
• 39th Meeting of the Working Party on the Harmonisation of Regulatory Oversight in
Biotechnology, 24-26 March 2025
Recent publications:
• Development in Delegations on Biosafety Issues, June 2022 – April 2023 (2023)

• Safety Assessment of Transgenic Organisms in the Environment, Volume 9 – OECD
Cons. Doc. on the Biology of Crops: Apple, Safflower, Rice (2022)
• Safety Assessment of Transgenic Organisms in the Environment, Volume 10 – OECD
Cons. Doc. on Environmental Considerations for the Release of Transgenic Plants
Website: BioTrack Online www.oecd.org/science/biotrack
Contacts: Satoshi Nakano, Jane Richardson, Ryoko Machida-Hirano (ENV/EHS)

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SAFETY OF NOVEL FOODS AND FEEDS
The OECD Working Party for the Safety of Novel Foods and Feeds (WP-SNFF) addresses aspects of
the safety assessment of foods and feeds derived from genetically engineered crops. The work aims
to ensure that the types of elements used in risk/safety assessment, as well as the methods to collect
such information, are as similar as possible amongst countries. The approach is to compare transgenic
crops and derived products with similar conventional ones that are already known and considered safe
in their use, based on recognised experience. Harmonised methods and practice, as well as share of
data are facilitated through the WP-SNFF activities. The 30th meeting of the WP-SNFF was held in April
2023, with a large participation from 32 delegations.
Consensus documents
The main output is the set of consensus documents on compositional considerations for new varieties
of specific crops. These documents compile a common base of scientific information on the major
components of the plants and their derived products: key nutrients; toxicants; antinutrients; and other
plant metabolites where relevant. Other publications deal with general aspects to facilitate
harmonisation in safety assessment. These documents constitute practical tools for regulators and risk
assessors dealing with new transgenic varieties, with respect to human food and animal feed safety. To
date, 28 Consensus Documents have been published on major crops and mushrooms, the animal
feedstuffs, as well as the molecular characterisation of plants derived from modern biotechnology
developed in common with the WP-HROB. They are available through the OECD BioTrack website
(www.oecd.org/biotrack).

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A new document on Considerations for collaborative work on the safety assessment of foods and feeds
derived from rDNA plants has been published in September 2023. Two composition documents,
on maize (revision) and faba bean (Vicia faba), are under development. Joint projects conducted with
the WP-HROB are the update of the 1986 OECD Council Recommendation on the safety of recombinant
DNA organisms, the enhanced information exchange on New Breeding Techniques, and the project on
moving towards “safe(r)-innovation-approach” in the context of modern biotechnology.
Outreach and Engagement of Non Member Economies
Officials from OECD countries and delegates from the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA),
Business at OECD (BIAC), observer organisations such as FAO, UNEP, the African Biosafety Network
of Expertise (AUDA NEPAD-ABNE) and the Agriculture and Food Systems Institute (AFSI), Health and
Environmental Sciences Institute (HESI) participate actively in the novel food and feed safety
programme. In addition, the WP-SNFF has increasingly involved the experience, scientific knowledge
and interests of non-member economies, which allows it to address a wider range of food and feed
products of global interest. Brazil, South Africa and Thailand, for example, were actively involved in the
drafting of consensus documents on compositional considerations for cowpea, cassava, papaya as well
as other tropical crops. The WP-SNFF benefits also from the expertise from Argentina, Croatia, India,
Kenya, Paraguay, Philippines, Uruguay and Viet Nam.
Upcoming events:
• 31st Meeting of the Working Party for the Safety of Novel Foods & Feeds, 18-20 March 2024
• 32nd Meeting of the Working Party for the Safety of Novel Foods & Feeds, 26-28 March 2025
Considerations for Collaborative Work on the Safety Assessments of Foods and Feeds
Derived from rDNA Plants (2023)
Website: BioTrack Online www.oecd.org/biotrack
Contacts: Ryoko Machida-Hirano, Jane Richardson, Satoshi Nakano (ENV/EHS)

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BIOTRACK ONLINE
The BioTrack Online information system is a mechanism by which the Working Party on the
Harmonisation of Regulatory Oversight in Biotechnology and the Working Party for the Safety of Novel
Foods and Feeds make publicly available the outputs of their work, especially their
Consensus/Guidance Documents described in sections above.
BioTrack Online offers also a public access to the “Product Database”. This database allows regulatory
officials to easily share basic information on transgenic products derived from the use of modern
biotechnology (mainly crop plants) and approved for commercial application in terms of food, feed or
environmental safety. The database is updated, on a voluntary basis, by authorities of countries
participating in the OECD biosafety activities. Products are listed with unique identifiers, and
the information includes common/scientific names of the host organism and introduced genes, the
events and traits, the regulatory elements and relevant links regarding approvals for release and use in
countries.
Information on new or updated entries provided by Argentina, Australia, Canada, South Africa European
Union and Paraguay were added to the Product Database in 2023. Currently, the database includes 393
products of transgenic crops, trees and flowers, from a total of 26 plant species (plum and pineapple as
new species), these products being approved in one or several of 17 countries and the European Union.
BioTrack Online also contains the regulatory contacts of OECD member countries and other
stakeholders involved in biosafety and novel food/feed safety.
The co-operation continues between the OECD’s Product Database, the CBD Biosafety Clearing-House
and the FAO GM Food Platform, for interoperability between these web-based systems and facilitating
the exchange of information on safety assessment of transgenic organisms and foods. This activity
responds to a request from the Codex ad hoc Task Force on Food Derived from Biotechnology, and
a Memorandum of Cooperation signed between OECD and the Secretariat of the Convention on
Biological Diversity.
Website: BioTrack Online www.oecd.org/biotrack

Product Database https://biotrackproductdatabase.oecd.org/
Contacts: Satoshi Nakano, Jane Richardson (ENV/EHS)

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BIODIVERSIY ECONOMICS AND POLICY
Biodiversity work at the OECD focuses on the economics and policies needed to promote the effective
conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity. It includes areas such as biodiversity valuation, the
use of economic instruments and other policy measures, biodiversity mainstreaming and finance. This
programme also supports the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD). The work is conducted under
the oversight of the OECD Working Party on Biodiversity, Water and Ecosystems (WPBWE),
a subsidiary body of the Environment Policy Committee (EPOC).
Biodiversity, including forests, wetlands and marine ecosystems, is fundamental to human well-being
and the economy. Biodiversity provides critical ecosystem services such as food provisioning, water
purification, nutrient cycling, and climate regulation, all of which are essential to support human well-
being and economic growth. Despite the significant economic, social and cultural benefits provided by
biodiversity and ecosystem services, global biodiversity is declining.
On-going OECD work on biodiversity is on Biodiversity and Green Budgeting Tagging; Scaling up
Positive Incentives for Biodiversity; Tracking Economic Instruments and Finance for Biodiversity; and
Quantifying Environmentally Harmful Subsidies/Support.
A forthcoming report on “Mainstreaming Biodiversity into Renewable Power Infrastructure”

synthesises evidence on biodiversity impacts from renewable power infrastructure. It identifies
opportunities for mainstreaming biodiversity into power sector planning and policy to deliver better
outcomes for nature and the climate.
“A supervisory framework for assessing nature-related financial risks: Identifying and navigating
biodiversity risks” was released in September 2023 under WPFIEG. The framework provides technical
guidance to central banks and financial supervisors on how to prioritise, conceptualise, and assess
biodiversity- and nature-related financial risks with respect to their financial system.
The OECD released a working paper on “Identifying and assessing subsidies and other incentives
harmful to biodiversity: A comparative review of existing national level assessments and insights for
good practice” in November 2022. The paper reviews the existing national level studies undertaken to
identify and assess incentives harmful to biodiversity or the environment more broadly, and concludes
with good practice insights for any other countries wishing to undertake similar studies (as called for
under the Convention on Biological Diversity).
A report Biodiversity, Natural Capital and the Economy: A Policy Guide for Finance, Economic and
Environment Ministries, prepared at the request of the UK G7 Presidency, was released in 2021. The
report provides the latest findings and policy guidance for G7 and other countries in four key areas:
measuring and mainstreaming biodiversity; aligning budgetary and fiscal policy with biodiversity;
embedding biodiversity in the financial sector; and improving biodiversity outcomes linked to
international trade.

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The analysis in Tracking Economic Instruments and Finance for Biodiversity - 2021, updated in
September 2021, highlights trends in the use of biodiversity-relevant economic instruments - such as
taxes, fees and charges, tradable permits, and environmentally-motivated subsidies - and the finance
they mobilise, based on available data in the OECD Policy Instruments for the Environment (PINE)
database. These data have been used to monitor progress towards CBD Aichi Target 3 and Sustainable
Development Goal (SDG) Target 15.a.1 on biodiversity finance. They are also relevant for Target 18 in
the draft post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework in the context of positive incentives.
Recent publications and working papers:
• OECD (forthcoming), Mainstreaming Biodiversity into Renewable Power Infrastructure.

• OECD (2023), "A supervisory framework for assessing nature-related financial risks:
Identifying and navigating biodiversity risks", OECD Business and Finance Policy Papers, No.
33, OECD Publishing, Paris, https://doi.org/10.1787/a8e4991f-en
• OECD (2023), "Assessing biodiversity-related financial risks: Navigating the landscape
of existing approaches", OECD Environment Policy Papers, No. 36, OECD Publishing,
Paris, https://doi.org/10.1787/d52137a5-en.
• OECD (2022), Identifying and assessing subsidies and other incentives harmful to
biodiversity at national level: A comparative review of existing national level assessments and
insights for good practice.
• OECD (2021), Biodiversity, natural capital and the economy: A policy guide for finance,
economic and environment ministers.
• OECD (2021), Tracking economic instruments and finance for biodiversity - 2021
• OECD (2021), Enhancing the effectiveness of sub-national biodiversity policy: Practices
in France and Scotland, United Kingdom
Website: www.oecd.org/environment/resources/biodiversity/
Contacts: Katia Karousakis, Edward Perry (ENV/ETR)

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REGULATION OF EXTERNALLY APPLIED DSRNA-BASED PRODUCTS FOR

PEST MANAGEMENT
The OECD Conference on Regulation of Externally Applied dsRNA-based Products for the
Management of Pests was held at the OECD Headquarters in April 2019. The event benefitted from
financial support from the OECD Cooperative Research Programme: Biological Resource Management
for Sustainable Agricultural Systems (CRP).
The Expert Group on RNAi-based pesticides (EGRNAi) – a sub-body of the OECD Working Party on
Pesticides - organised the conference and coordinated the preparation of the conference with the
Federal Office of Consumer Protection and Food Safety (BVL) in Germany, the European Food Safety
Authority, Health Canada and the US Environmental Protection Agency.
The full proceedings of the conference have been published online at the Frontiers Research Topic
RNAi Based Pesticides. This special issue contains papers prepared after the conference by the
speakers, and the conference report (2020) that summarises input from presenters and participants
during the panel discussions at each session. Key elements from these discussions have already been
incorporated into the OECD Working Document on Considerations for the Environmental
Risk Assessment of the Application of Sprayed or Externally Applied ds-RNA-Based Pesticides, Series
on Pesticides No.104 (2020). It will facilitate regulators in evaluating externally applied dsRNA-based
products for potential environmental risks.
The second OECD Working Document on Considerations for the Human Health Risk Assessment of
Externally Applied ds-RNA-Based Pesticides, Series on Pesticides No.110, published in June 2023,
includes the lessons learned from the application of this technology in the field of pharmaceuticals and
considers a range of issues directly relevant to human exposure arising from the application of
externally-applied dsRNA-based pesticides, and discusses possible effects of dsRNA exposure in
mammals.

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Publications and working papers:
• RNAi Pesticides (several authors) (2019-2021), full proceedings of the 2019 OECD
conference on RNAi based pesticides.
• OECD (2020), Considerations for the Environmental Risk Assessment of the Application
of Sprayed or Externally Applied ds-RNA-Based Pesticides.
• Mendelsohn et al. (2020), Summary of Discussions From the 2019 OECD Conference
on RNAi Based Pesticides.
• OECD (2023), Working Document on Considerations for the Human Health Risk
Assessment of Externally Applied ds-RNA-Based Pesticides.
Website: http://www.oecd.org/chemicalsafety/pesticides-biocides/conference-on-rnai-based-
pesticides.htm
Contacts: Magda Sachana, Jane Richardson (ENV/EHS)

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CONFERENCE ON INNOVATING MICROBIAL PESTICIDE TESTING
The Expert Group on Biopesticides (EGBP) – a sub-body of the OECD Working Party on Pesticides –
organised an OECD Conference on Innovating Microbial Pesticide Testing that took place at the OECD
Headquarters on 13-16 September 2022. This conference benefitted from a grant from the OECD Co-
operative Research Programme (CRP): Sustainable and Food Agricultural Systems. The OECD
Secretariat and the EGBP Chair from the US Environmental Protection Agency coordinated
preparations, including the development of two background documents prepared by experts from OECD
member countries outlining the challenges and future opportunities for testing and for assessing the
safety of microbial pesticides with respect to both human health and non-target organisms.
Microbial pesticides are microorganisms (e.g., bacteria, fungi, viruses) that are used to control a wide
range of agricultural pests, including plant disease-causing microorganisms, fungi, insects, and weeds.
These pesticides are important components of a sustainable agriculture strategy because they generally
have a lower risk profile and are more selective for targeted pests compared to conventional chemical
pesticides. However, microbial pesticide hazard testing is challenging, as current test guidelines were
developed for chemical pesticides and do not take into account microbial pesticides’ unique properties.
Using the current test guidelines for microbial pestcides can produce study results that are inconsistent,
difficult to interpret.
The goal of the conference was to develop, agree upon, and develop a workplan to improve current test
guidelines for microbial pesticides. This includes:
• improving test guidelines to evaluate potential effects of microbial pesticides on

nontarget organism (e.g., birds, fish, bees), and
• establishing a framework using NAMs and/or other novel approaches in lieu of
mammalian test guidelines to evaluate the effects of microbial pesticides on human health.
•
The Conference programme, abstracts, speakers’ biographies and other conference materials are
available on the conference website. The full proceedings of the conference with papers prepared
subsequently by each of the speakers, were published in June 2023 and are available here.

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Publications:
OECD (2023) Innovating Microbial Pesticide Testing: Conference Proceedings.
Website: https://oe.cd/innovating-microbial-pesticide-testing
Other relevant EGBP activities: The EGBP has published an OECD Guidance Document on
Baculoviruses as Plant Protection Products Series on Pesticides No. 111 ENV/CBC/MONO(2023)21.
This will complement the Consensus Document on Information Used in the Assessment of
Environmental Applications Involving Baculoviruses [ENV/JM/MONO(2002)1] published by the Working
Party on the Harmonisation of Regulatory Oversight in Biotechnology in 2002. Only a few additional,
publically available safety studies have been carried out during the last 20 years, but the new Guidance
Document will extend the 2002 Consensus Document by referring to new knowledge on the biology of
baculoviruses, as well as the describing experiences using baculovirus as a plant protection agent. The
document is expected to be published later in 2023.
Publications:
OECD (2023) Guidance Document on Baculoviruses as Plant Protection Products Series on

Pesticides
Website: https://www.oecd.org/chemicalsafety/pesticides-biocides/biological-pesticides.htm.
Contacts: Magda Sachana, Jane Richardson (ENV/EHS)

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GLOBAL FORUM ON TECHNOLOGY FOCUS GROUP ON SYNTHETIC BIOLOGY:

KICK OFF ON 2 AND 13 NOVEMBER 2023
The first GFTech synthetic biology focus group convened in hybrid format for the first time on 2
November 2023 at the OECD in Paris, to launch a series of expert engagements over the following
10-12 months. The group currently has 50 participants from 29 different countries, including
participants from Africa, Asia, North America, Latin America, Europe and Oceania in addition to a
number of non-profit organisations operating at an international level. 30 experts came together for the
launch event, including academia (both natural and social science), along with government experts,
innovation associations, a number of firms and organisations interfacing with civil society. To capture
all timezones around the globe, a second launch event was held online on 13th November with 20
participants.
The purpose of the focus group is to support dialogue with a broader community, in particular the
exploration of pathways towards the possible development of OECD standards for responsible
innovation in this area, and feed into the work programme of the CSTP and its Working Party on
Biotechnology, Nanotechnology and Converging Technologies (BNCT). The focus group will next
convene on 11th December to discuss and rank priority areas for deeper dive discussions.
Contact: Douglas Robinson (STI/STP)

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JOINT OECD-IGEM CONFERENCE ON RESPONSIBLE RESEARCH AND INNOVATION IN

SYNTHETIC BIOLOGYIBILITY CONFERENCE
As part of the BNCT’s activity “Synthetic Biology: accelerating innovation through anticipating and
mitigating risks” within the horizontal project on existential risk, coordinated by the Strategic Foresight
Unit of the Office of the Secretary General, the BNCT co-organised a 2 day workshop on iGEM
Responsibility.
Based on expert panels and working sessions, the conference covered topics such as:
• Dual-Use of synthetic biology,

• Responsible field trials of gene drives,
• Building resilient and responsible value chains and bioeconomies,
• Exploring the challenges and opportunities ahead with the convergence of artificial
intelligence and synthetic biology, and
• Identifying in roads to novel policy approaches to the governance of emerging
technologies.
This event was an official satellite event of the iGEM jamboree, an annual student competition to
genetically engineer living machines using synthetic biology, artificial intelligence and other
technologies (iGEM Grand Jamboree).
Contact: Douglas Robinson (STI/STP)

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POLICIES FOR ENGINEERING BIOLOGY IN AN INTERNATIONAL CONTEXT
Whilst there is no agreed to definition, Engineering Biology can be considered as an approach that
designs, fabricates, scales and embeds biological components and systems into useful applications.
Engineering biology is a field that promises solutions to many current and future global challenges,
including treating or eradicating infectious and genetic diseases, preventing food shortages, enabling
sustainable manufacturing, and mitigating the impacts of climate change, among many others. Potential
applications include alternative protein sources such as plant-based and other synthetic meats (a
solution for food security), gene editing of insects (to eradicate Malaria), scaled production of
microorganisms (for carbon dioxide removal) and rapid vaccine development (such as RNA vaccines).
The OECD Working Party on Biotechnology, Nanotechnology and Converging Technologies (BNCT)
hosted a scoping workshop on Engineering Biology 10 May 2023 in Paris. This workshop acted as a
first stocktaking of engineering biology as a policy field as well as a “forward look” to better anticipate
policy needs in the future. To this end, the workshop took a broad perspective on engineering biology
to identify key developments, policies and governance challenges and to explore opportunities for
international cooperation and coordination.
.
Workshop sessions included the following topics:
• Transformative changes to come – looking forward to impactful engineering biology
• National engineering biology strategies
• Investment approaches to, and the status of, synthetic biology and biomanufacturing
• Anticipatory governance and responsible research and innovation in engineering
biology
• Training and international mobility
• Global communities and cooperation
A workshop report is envisaged drawing out reflections on, and open questions about, the above topics.
Contact: Douglas Robinson (STI/STP) douglas.robinson@oecd.org

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OECD GLOBAL FORUM ON TECHNOLOGY – INAUGUAL EVENT WITH PLENARY PANEL

ON SYNTHETIC BIOLOGY
On 6 June 2023, the inaugural event of the OECD Global Forum on Technology took place at OECD
headquarters in Paris. Organised in the margins of the Meeting of the OECD Council at the Ministerial
Level, the event brought together over 300 senior policy makers, leading technology experts, and a wide
variety of stakeholders from more than 50 countries to discuss the shaping of our future at the tech
frontier.
A set of three breakout sessions probed the implications of emerging technology through the lenses of
three policy themes: human rights, climate change, and technological divides. In the afternoon, the
Forum took a “deep dive” into two specific technologies: synthetic biology (next generation
biotechnology) and immersive technologies (such as extended and virtual reality).
The panel in the Synthetic Biology plenary session was composed of Drew Endy (Stanford scientist and
BioBricks President), Matthew Chang (scientists at National University of Singapore), Benson Mburu
(National Commission for Science, Technology, and Innovation in Kenya), Kenneth Oye (MIT Professor
of Political Science), and Claudia Vickers (Professor at Queensland University of Technology).
Drew Endy presented the synthetic biology field in a nutshell in his keynote, explaining that advances
are exponential and carry high promises at the medical, agricultural, and industrial levels. Though there
are many challenges today. To address these, speakers underlined that appropriate governance
mechanisms need to accompany these technology advances. Moreover, they elaborated that synthetic
biology should encapsulate values of inclusivity, solidarity, sustainability, and humility. Without these,
the scientific community could face issues of dual-use and of exclusion of the Global South. To ensure
access and equity, the panellists agreed that stakeholders should prioritize applications that are easily
scalable. Concretely, they discussed five potential impact areas of synthetic biology applications in
reaching zero emission goals, these include emissions reduction and reutilisation, bio-based materials,
carbon sequestration and waste recycling. such as carbon sequestration and zero-emission
technologies.
In concluding, the panel highlighted that despite the potential for transformative applications, synthetic
biology technologies face barriers such as their translating from universities to application. This could
be overcome by scale-up investment and highlights the important role of public and private funders. In
terms of necessary policy interventions, the panellists discussed that the role of guardrails and self-
governance mechanisms as well as the important role of coordinated frameworks and international
conventions for which OECD could be well placed to drive future efforts.
All replays and event materials are accessible online at oe.cd/gftech including a short technology brief
on synthetic biology can be found here.
Contact: Douglas Robinson (STI/STP) douglas.robinson@oecd.org

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BIOTECHNOLOGY STATISTICS
The OECD Key Biotech Indicators (KBI) and the OECD Key Nanotech Indicators (KNI) were updated
in November 2023.
The KBI are available at: oe.cd/kbi and the KNI data are available at: oe.cd/kni.
Contact: Brigitte van Beuzekom (STI/STP)

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BIOENERGY AND BIOFUELS AT TRADE AND AGRICULTURE DIRECTORATE
The subject of bioenergy touches various areas, in particular, scientific developments, environmental
effects, energy balances and agricultural market economics. The Trade and Agriculture Directorate
(TAD) work on bioenergy focuses on a comprehensive compilation of data and information, the
categorisation of the variety of support policies and the quantitative analysis of bioenergy markets and
policy measures.
An economic assessment of biofuel support policies, published in 2008, concluded that government
support of biofuel production in OECD countries was costly, with a limited impact on reducing
greenhouse gases and improving energy security, however with a significant impact on world crop
prices. The study highlighted that other forms of bioenergy, such as bioheat, biopower and biogas, could
represent economically more viable and environmentally more efficient ways to reduce GHG. Another
publication presented the technology and costs associated with the bioheat, biopower production as well
as second generation biofuels.
An OECD study published in 2010 focused on the development and the environmental performance of
those alternative forms of energy. They are mostly generated with non-agricultural feedstocks and,
to a lesser extent, agricultural residues and wastes. Main technologies to convert biomass to heat and/or
electrical power include the direct combustion, the gasification and the anaerobic digestion producing
biogas. Combined heat and power generation plants allow improving the energy efficiency with the use
of the remaining heat after power generation for space heating or in industrial applications.

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The OECD-FAO Agricultural Outlook annual report covers biofuel market and related policy
developments. The 2023 Agricultural Outlook (projecting on the 2023-2032 period) is available at
http://www.agri-outlook.org/, see ‘Biofuels’ chapter (OECD/FAO, 2023).
TAD has created a detailed database of policies in the fertiliser and biofuel sectors of OECD countries
and several Emerging Economies available at http://www.oecd.org/tad/agricultural-policies/support-
policies-fertilisers-biofuels.htm. An analysis of these policies and their implications for agricultural
markets and incomes has been published within the Food, Agriculture and Fisheries Paper series (von
Lampe et al., 2014). A previous Trade and Environment Working Paper has focused on domestic
incentive measures for renewable energy with possible trade implications (Bahar, Egeland and
Steenblick, 2013).
TAD participates in the Agricultural Market Information System (AMIS) project (www.amis-outlook.org).
One of TAD’s contributions to AMIS is to report each month on newly implemented biofuel policies in the
AMIS countries in the Market Monitor Report.
Recent Publication:
• OECD/FAO (2023), OECD-FAO Agricultural Outlook 2023-2032 – “Biofuels” chapter,

full document available at: http://www.agri-outlook.org/.
Website: OECD-FAO Agricultural Outlook: https://www.agri-outlook.org/commodities/

AMIS Market Monitor Report: http://www.amis-outlook.org/amis-monitoring/monthly-report/en/
Contacts: Annelies Deuss (TAD/ATM), Martin Von Lampe (TAD/PTA)

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BIOENERGY AT THE INTERNATIONAL ENERGY AGENCY (IEA)
The activities of the International Energy Agency (IEA) cover bioenergy across the electricity, heat and
transport sectors. The following summarize notable activities in 2023.
IEA shares recommendations for the Global Biofuel Alliance at G20 Energy Transitions Ministerial
Meeting
• As part of its G20 presidency, India has proposed a Global Biofuel Alliance (GBA) to
bring countries together to expand and create new markets for sustainable biofuels.
• The sharing of best practices, the technical support and the capacity building that the
GBA would bring are welcome additions to international efforts to expand sustainable
biofuel production and use, a key step to decarbonising transportation and heat services
with secure and affordable energy supplies.
• This report aims to inform and focus the Alliance’s work by sharing biofuel policy
insights from Brazil, India and the United States.
• We find that these countries have expanded biofuel production and use by designing
long-term strategies, implementing the right investment signals, supporting innovation,
ensuring supplies are secure and affordable, addressing sustainability concerns early and
collaborating with the international community.
• Further, there are three priority areas that would facilitate sustainable biofuel
deployment in support of the global energy transition: Identifying and helping develop
markets with high potential for sustainable biofuels production, accelerating technology
deployment and seeking consensus on performance-based sustainability assessments and
frameworks.
IEA launches update to its landmark Net Zero Roadmap – Bioenergy remains a key pillar
• While traditional use of biomass is phased out in the NZE Scenario, modern bioenergy
use more than doubles to 2050, due to its ability to be used as a direct drop-in substitute
for fossil fuels. Advanced feedstock supply grows considerably, supported by investments
and commercialization
• Biofuels climb to 11% of transport fuel demand by 2030 in the net zero scenario.
• Biofuels provide 8% of shipping and 10% of aviation fuel by 2030
• Bioenergy with carbon capture and storage account for 20% of captured carbon by
2030

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IEA launches the Latin America Energy Outlook
• How Latin America and the Caribbean uses its vast resources will shape the region’s
energy future and the role it plays in the global energy system.
• View the country profiles for Brazil, Argentina and many others.
• Bioenergy and low-emissions hydrogen, as potential substitutes for fossil fuels in hard-
to abate sectors of the economy, are essential building blocks of a low-emissions energy
system (see section 2.5.2 for more!).
•
The Biofuture Initiative and Campaign supported CEM discussions:
• Virtual workshop on sustainable biofuels from low-production lands: Converting “low-

producing lands” into sources of biomass feedstocks for marine fuels offers several
advantages. “Low-producing lands” are lands whose productivity has been reduced by poor
farming practices, pollution, or under-use. Growing biomass feedstocks on these lands
would permit an increase in biofuel production without creating competition for food, fuel,
and biodiversity; while, increasing opportunities for GHG emissions reductions (including
Carbon Farming).
• Two high-level panel discussions were held to support the launch of the Global Biofuels
Alliance and enable a more technical exchange in support of the CEO – Minister Biofuture
Roundtable by affirming and increasing public and private sector commitment to the
innovation, investment, and policy needed to fulfill the potential for bio-based fuels,
chemicals, and materials to enable the Net Zero future. The panels will address the
synergistic role of biomass with CCU and hydrogen for diverse applications, including fuels
for aviation and shipping and the wide range of bio-based chemicals.
The IEA has updated both its CCUS projects database and Clean energy demonstration project
database.
• CCUS project database: The IEA established this dataset as part of its efforts to track
advances in carbon capture, utilisation, and storage (CCUS). It covers all CO2 capture,
transport, storage, and utilisation projects worldwide that have been commissioned since the
1970s, and have an announced capacity of more than 100 000 t per year (or 1 000 t per year
for direct air capture facilities). It includes projects with a clear emissions reduction scope,
and excludes CO2 capture for utilisation pathways which bring low climate benefits (e.g. food
and beverages), or which are part of the conventional industrial process (e.g. internal use for
urea production), as well as use of naturally occurring CO2 for enhanced oil recovery.
• Clean energy demonstration project database: The IEA Demonstration Projects

Database seeks to map major demonstration projects of clean energy technologies, globally.
For each project, it provides information on location, sector and technology grouping, status,
capacity, timing and funding, when available.

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• IEA (2023), Biofuel Policy in Brazil, India and the United States – Insights for the Global
Biofuel Alliance. https://www.iea.org/reports/biofuel-policy-in-brazil-india-and-the-united-
states
• IEA (2023) Latin America Energy Outlook 2023 https://www.iea.org/reports/latin-
america-energy-outlook-2023
• IEA (2023) Net Zero Roadmap: A Global Pathway to Keep the 1.5 oC Goal in
Reach https://www.iea.org/reports/net-zero-roadmap-a-global-pathway-to-keep-the-15-0c-
goal-in-reach
• IEA (2023) The World Energy Outlook https://www.iea.org/reports/world-energy-outlook-
2023
• IEA (2023) Clean energy demonstration project database: https://www.iea.org/data-and-
statistics/data-tools/clean-energy-demonstration-projects-database
Contact: Jeremy Moorhouse (IEA/EMS/RED)

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POLICIES FOR AGRICULTURAL INNOVATION
The Ministerial Declaration on Transformative Solutions for Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems
The Declaration underlines the key role of developing transformative and innovative policies towards
more sustainable and resilient agriculture and food systems. To this end, it calls OECD countries to
strengthen the assessment of investments in agricultural innovation systems that offer cost-effective
levers to progress towards productive, sustainable, and resilient agriculture and food systems.
The OECD Agro-food Productivity Sustainability Resilience policy framework

Innovation in agriculture is a key driver to improve the productivity and environmental sustainability of
the sector. Innovative technologies and practices allow food systems to produce more food for a growing
world population, using less resources and reducing the pressures on the environment. Innovation can
make food systems more resilient to systemic shocks exacerbated by climate change, including sudden
outbreaks like COVID-19 pandemic. The Agro-food Productivity-Sustainability-Resilience policy
framework responds to a demand from the G20 in 2012 and to the Communiques from the OECD
Agricultural Ministerial meeting in 2016. It is currently a ready-to-use instrument to analyse the
performance of agricultural policies from a holistic perspective and their contribution to enhance
innovative outcomes.
Agriculture Innovation Systems

30
Recognising the potential role of biotechnologies in increasing productivity and facilitating adaptation to
climate change, TAD has analysed agricultural innovation systems and the role of policies in fostering
innovation. After three pilot country reviews published in 2015 (Australia, Brazil and Canada), the
framework was used in a number of country reviews: the Netherlands (2015), Türkiye and the United
States (2016), P.R. China, Estonia, Korea and Sweden (2018), and Japan and Latvia (2019).
Furthermore, three additional country studies of Argentina (2019), Norway (2021) and Viet Nam (2022)
have also a focus on agriculture innovation applying the revised framework. The main findings and
policy recommendations from the country reviews achieved since 2015 were published in 2019 (OECD,
2019). A booklet containing an overview of the main findings and a policy brief were made available at
an OECD seminar organised on 11 May 2019 before the G20 Meeting of Agricultural Ministers in Niigata,
Japan. In 2023, three additional reviews were released for the Netherlands, Spain, and the European
Union. They contain updated information and a detailed assessment of agricultural innovation systems
and how they can work for achieving environmental sustainability. Journalists, policy makers, and
researchers have expressed great interest in them.
Digital Agriculture
Digitalisation offers the potential to help address the productivity, sustainability and resilience
challenges facing agriculture. Two recent publications – a literature review and an “issues note” on trust-
address the barriers of adoption of digital agriculture in OECD countries, including trust issues.
Currently, the OECD Trade and Agriculture Directorate (TAD) is working on how digital technologies
affect labour, skills and farmers’ wellbeing. The focus on these relations is relevant because digital
technologies can improve working conditions in agriculture, by reducing the need for menial tasks and
physical labour, allowing for more flexible work schedules and reducing health risks, and generate new
entrepreneurship opportunities in rural areas, for example, allowing for certain on-farm diversification
activities, such as tourism. All these effects can make the sector increasingly attractive to younger
people and to attract new entrants into agriculture.
Farm Level Analysis Network and Network on Agricultural TFP and the Environment
Innovation can provide an opportunity for agriculture producers to increase productivity while better
managing natural resources. To broaden the understanding of these interlinkages, TAD has established
networks of experts from research and government.

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The Farm-Level Analysis Network undertakes studies and exchange of experience on the use of micro
level data for policy analysis. A series of reports investigating the determinants of farm productivity and
sustainability performance and dynamics, including innovation and agricultural policies have been
discussed in the Network and published in the OECD Food, Agriculture and Fisheries Paper series. The
last edition of the meeting in November 2023 focused on “Social issues and related data gaps” and
“New farmers, digitalisation and innovation”. The meeting included for the first time a joint session with
experts from the Food-Chain Analysis Network (FCAN) on “Environmental impact measurement at farm
level” to exchange views of and discuss challenges of the farm-level calculation tools for measuring and
communicating environmental impacts.
The Network on Agricultural TFP and the Environment provides experts with a platform to discuss
challenges and opportunities of measuring the sustainable productivity growth through
“environmentally-adjusted” Total Factor Productivity (TFP) indicators. Discussions on the recent
methodological developments and best measurement practices were concluded with the publication of
“Insights into the Measurement of Agricultural Total Factor Productivity and the Environment” (OECD,
2022; Bureau and Antón, 2022).
• OECD (2023), “Policies for the Future of Farming and Food in the European Union”,
OECD Agriculture and Food Policy Reviews, OECD Publishing, Paris,
https://doi.org/10.1787/32810cf6-en.
• OECD (2023), “Policies for the Future of Farming and Food in Spain”, OECD
Agriculture and Food Policy Reviews, OECD Publishing, Paris,
https://doi.org/10.1787/a93d26be-en.
• OECD (2023), “Policies for the Future of Farming and Food in the Netherlands”, OECD
Agriculture and Food Policy Reviews, OECD Publishing, Paris,
https://doi.org/10.1787/bb16dea4-en.
• Asai, M., et al. (2023), "Fostering agricultural and rural policy dialogue", OECD Food,
Agriculture and Fisheries Papers, No. 197, OECD Publishing, Paris,
https://doi.org/10.1787/d36fcbad-en.
• Sauer, J. and J. Antón (2023), "Characterising farming resilience capacities: An example
of crop farms in the United Kingdom", OECD Food, Agriculture and Fisheries Papers, No. 195,
OECD Publishing, Paris, https://doi.org/10.1787/1e26883b-en.
• Bureau, J. and J. Antón (2022), "Agricultural Total Factor Productivity and the
environment: A guide to emerging best practices in measurement", OECD Food, Agriculture
and Fisheries Papers, No. 177, OECD Publishing, Paris, https://doi.org/10.1787/6fe2f9e0-en.
• McFadden, J., et al. (2022), "The digitalisation of agriculture: A literature review and
emerging policy issues", OECD Food, Agriculture and Fisheries Papers, No. 176, OECD
Publishing, Paris, https://doi.org/10.1787/285cc27d-en.
• McFadden, J., F. Casalini and J. Antón (2022), "Policies to bolster trust in agricultural
digitalisation: Issues note", OECD Food, Agriculture and Fisheries Papers, No. 175, OECD
Publishing, Paris, https://doi.org/10.1787/5a89a749-en.
• OECD (2022), “Insights Into the Measurement of Agricultural Total Factor Productivity
and the Environment”, https://www.oecd.org/agriculture/topics/network-agricultural-
productivity-and-environment.
• OECD (2022), “Innovation, Agricultural Productivity and Sustainability in Viet Nam”,
Chapter 5 on the Agricultural knowledge and innovation system, https://www.oecd-
ilibrary.org/agriculture-and-food/innovation-agricultural-productivity-and-sustainability-in-viet-
nam_9cc1f47a-en

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• OECD (2021), “Policies for the Future of Farming and Food: How to improve
productivity, sustainability and resilience?” (Booklet on PSR Policy Framework),
https://issuu.com/oecd.publishing/docs/policies_for_the_future_of_farming_and_food.
• OECD (2021), “Policies for the Future of Farming and Food in Norway”, Chapter 4 on
the Agricultural Innovation System, https://doi.org/10.1787/20b14991-en.
• Sauer, J., et al. (2021), "Dynamics of farm performance and policy impacts: Case
studies ", OECD Food, Agriculture and Fisheries Papers, No. 165, OECD Publishing,
Paris, https://doi.org/10.1787/3ce71854-en.
• Anton, J. and J. Sauer (2021), “Dynamics of Farm Performance and Policy Impacts:
Main Findings”, OECD Food, Agriculture and Fisheries Papers, No. 164, OECD Publishing,
https://doi.org/10.1787/af1f4600-en.
Website: http://www.oecd.org/agriculture/topics/agricultural-productivity-and-innovation/
Contact: Jesús Antón (TAD/ARP) and Mercedes Campi (TAD/ARP)

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AGRICULTURAL SEED AND FOREST REPRODUCTIVE MATERIAL

CERTIFICATION SCHEMES
The following three criteria; distinctness, uniformity and stability are used for defining crop varieties and
form the basis for agricultural seed development and trade. Identification and minimum purity criteria
are important components of sustainability, especially in the case of hybridisation and genetic
modifications. For forest reproductive material reliability depends on several factors including
identification of origin (region or provenance), selection and breeding.
The OECD Seed Schemes are a set of international standards for field inspection and certification of
the most important agricultural and vegetable species. The Schemes aim to harmonise seed
certification; thereby facilitating and promoting international seed trade. The eight Seed Schemes
establish rules and standards for varietal inspection and certification of seeds from OECD listed
varieties. Sixtyone countries are currently a member of at least one of the Schemes.
The List of Varieties Eligible for OECD Certification covers 204 species – including all major crops – and
more than 69 000 varieties. OECD statistics indicate that the total weight of OECD certified seeds traded
corresponded to 1 billion kg in 2019/20. The electronic database provides an online search facility for
OECD listed varieties and is available from the official website (see below).
In order to assess the current and future needs of international certification, the OECD Seed Schemes
have established a number of Ad-Hoc Working Groups and holds regular discussions with their
Technical Working Group to examine issues, explore new opportunities and develop new procedures.
One of the key issues for the OECD Seed Schemes is the emerging role of biochemical and molecular
techniques (BMT) in describing and identifying varieties. These issues are discussed at the Advisory
Group on Biochemical and Molecular Techniques. The group plays a key role in the registration of new
BMTs under the OECD Seed Schemes. The 2023 Annual Meeting held on 22-23 June 2023 approved
new BMTs which are in use at least by one of the participating countries in the Seed Schemes. The
Group also started discussions on how modern molecular techniques can be used for varietal purity
tests. Currently the registered BMTs are only allowed for varietal identity tests but only as
supplementary methods to phenotyping techniques.

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International organisations such as OECD, International Union for the Protection of New Varieties of
Plants (UPOV) and International Seed testing Association (ISTA) need to pursue these new techniques
carefully in order to maintain the integrity of the seed sectors international regulatory framework. These
organisations works in close cooperation to harmonise their work on BMTs as much as possible. Both
OECD and UPOV have established their list of BMTS applied in breeding, variety testing and registration
or seed certification. The organisations harmonised their approach during the formation of the lists.
The OECD Forest Seed and Plant Scheme encourages the production and use of forest reproductive
material that has been collected, processed and marketed in a manner that ensures their trueness to
name. It is currently implemented in 30 countries. The Scheme's rules were recently completed by
including the "Tested" category and new types of basic materials, such as clones, clonal mixture and
parents of families. Moreover, the Scheme is now adapted to deal with multifunctional forest trees.
The Scheme is exploring possible ways to adapt to and mitigate climate change. The scheme is
collaborating with organisations such as Kew Gardens or EUFORGEN, to better understand and
communicate the importance of the origin of forest reproductive material in afforestation reforestation
and in forest tree plantations. The certification of origin is becoming more and more important as it
provides information to foresters on the adaptation potential of the forest reproductive material. Some
countries have introduced DNA based control systems to check the true origin (region of provenance)
of the imported forest tree seeds, parts of plants or plants.
The OECD Forest Seed and Plant Scheme is currently exploring the possibility of using biochemical
and molecular techniques, particularly DNA based techniques in registration of basic material of forestry
species under the OECD as well as the certification of origin and population of forest reproductive
material.

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Upcoming events:
Agricultural Seed Schemes:
• Technical Working Group Meeting: 29 January – 2 February 2024, Livingstone, Zambia
• 2024 Annual Meeting of the OECD Seed Schemes: 10-14 June 2024, Nice, France
Forest Seed and Plant Scheme:
• Technical Working Group Meeting: 23-24 April 2024, Sweden (to be confirmed)
• 2024 Annual Meeting of the National Designated Authorities: 1-2 October 2024, OECD
Headquarters
• OECD Seed Schemes: Rules and regulations; 2023 edition

Systèmes des semences de l’OCDE : Règles et directives ; édition 2023 (fr)
• List of Varieties Eligible for Seed Certification; July 2023
• OECD Forest Seed and Plant Scheme “2023” (Rules and Regulations)
Système de l’OCDE pour les semences et plants forestiers “2023” (Règles et Directives)
Web sites: https://www.oecd.org/agriculture/seeds/

https://www.oecd.org/agriculture/forest/
Promotional video on the OECD Forest Scheme: https://youtu.be/nqGXYz5Sln4.
Contact: Csaba Gaspar (TAD/COD)

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CO-OPERATIVE RESEARCH PROGRAMME:

SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURAL AND FOOD SYSTEMS
The OECD Co-operative Research Programme: Sustainable Agricultural and Food Systems (CRP),
which gathers 29 OECD countries, is based on the observation that multi-disciplinary agri-food research
is needed to address the gaps in knowledge, deepen understanding and enhance the scientific base of
policy. The objectives of the CRP are the following: to provide a sound scientific knowledge base to
agricultural policy-making; to contribute to an informed public debate on current and emerging agro-food
issues and help resolve conflicting views; and to promote scientific understanding and standards
between major regions of OECD. A food systems approach to policy analysis to tackle the “triple
challenge” of providing food security and nutrition, and ensuring livelihoods while using natural
resources sustainably is in line with the declaration adopted by Agriculture Ministers in 2016 and in 2022
and the work of the Committee for Agriculture. It is also fully aligned with OECD strategic objectives in
relation to the need for integrated interdisciplinary approaches in obtaining sustainable solutions. Whilst
not specifically mentioned in the title of the Programme, the CRP’s mandate also includes fisheries and
forestry research.
Operational features of the Programme involve supporting and promoting international co-operation and
networking in the field of basic and applied research. It awards fellowships to scientists from a CRP
member country to conduct research projects in another CRP member country, and supports financially
workshops to address agro-food issues that are high on the science/policy agenda of Members. The
CRP strategy emphasises the need to engage a range of scientific disciplines including the natural
sciences, social sciences and the humanities in an interactive dialogue. The CRP has three pillars, or
research themes, as depicted below:
The Call for Applications for funding of international conferences and workshops, and fellowships
(individual research projects) in 2024 resulted in 21 applications for conference sponsorship and 47
applications for CRP fellowship travel bursaries. Information about which were successful in being
granted CRP funding will be given in the next newsletter.

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CRP (Co-)Sponsored Conferences and Workshops that took place in 2023:
• Reducing nitrogen losses and greenhouse gas emissions from arable agriculture: How
can new modelling concepts help? - Germany, 3-4 May 2023
This workshop brought together leading experts in the field of measurements and modelling of
soil nitrogen processes to discuss what can be done to reduce N losses and N2O emissions from
agricultural systems. Biogeochemical models are used to simulate how abiotic and biotic
variables interact through time and across space to determine rates of biogeochemical fluxes.
They provide a platform for scientists to evaluate how current and potential changes in climate,
land use, disturbance regimes, or vegetation will impact greenhouse gas (GHG) budgets, carbon
sequestration and storage, and water quality. However, N2O emissions, drought-response, and
perennial crop age-related dynamics are poorly simulated by models despite their importance to
making future predictions of bioenergy crop GHG balances. With mitigation strategies being
developed for decarbonising the atmosphere, it is becoming increasingly important for
biogeochemical models to confidently project GHG emissions in the future for all ecosystem
types, land uses, and climatic variability. Given the amplified global warming potential of N2O
relative to other GHGs, inaccurate estimates of N2O fluxes under land use or climate change
scenarios represent a large source of uncertainty on terrestrial ecosystems climate feedbacks,
particularly when considering the agricultural sector. Because a direct measurement of all factors
and interactions integrating the nitrogen (N) cycle is unfeasible and subject to large variability,
models of varying complexity have been developed to reproduce the complex processes driving
N dynamics and ultimately N2O emissions.
• Innovative hydrothermal systems to valorise agricultural residuals: Roadmap towards

implementation – achievements and barriers - Korea, 15-16 May 2023
This workshop developed a roadmap for the implementation of hydrothermal technology in

agricultural production systems to improve material use and recycling of agricultural wastes and
residuals as well as surplus biomass. Many years of research have shown that hydrothermal
technology can produce value-added products from agricultural materials, such as biomass,
wastes and residuals (subsequently denoted as residuals for simplicity). It is potentially beneficial
in recycling organic carbon and nutrients from plant and animal residuals to agricultural land,
developing economic opportunities in rural areas for businesses valorising residuals, and
avoiding negative health and environmental impacts from wet organic residuals. Developing
hydrothermal carbonisation (HTC) systems is one of the solutions to remedy agricultural waste
and residuals releasing excess nutrients and pollutants in the environment, which are a problem
for the sustainable production of food. The roadmap this workshop will produce will help resolve
the many hurdles that exist to implementing both technological and policy systems for this
technology.
The workshop recognised that currently there are few, if any, specific policies associated with
HTC processes and products, prompting a need for developing the infrastructure to accredit HTC
as a thermal conversion process.

38
• Antimicrobial use and resistance in livestock production in a One Health context - UK,
22-24 May 2023
This event focused on specific gaps in the understanding of the use of antimicrobials in livestock
systems and the consequences for AMR. The magnitude and gravity of the AMR health crisis
has been stressed by national and international commentators and it is clear that there is an
imbalance between the attention given to management of AMU/AMR in clinical settings
compared to that in livestock production. Since the latter could amount to more than half the
global use of antimicrobials, it is important to understand the drivers of their use and the likely
health consequences. There is a need to drill down into the data (and data gaps) to understand
the cost-effectiveness of specific interventions to control AMU and to break to break transmission
links to AMR. This includes good surveillance and developing better ways of conducting global
surveillance rather than waiting for national capacities to develop may be one way to move
forward.
• Drone Spraying of Pesticides - United Kingdom, 23-24 May 2023
This event was organised to share latest thinking and to help develop a recommended approach
to assessing and mitigating the risks associated with the application of pesticides by drone.
Participants pooled knowledge and expertise and shared issues and current developments
related to the application of pesticides by drone. Issues discussed included: the drivers for uptake
of this new technology, identification of risks and mitigations by aviation and pesticide regulatory
regimes, the latest research into human health and environmental exposures, and how to
improve current draft best practice advice on planning and conduction drone spraying operations.
The outcomes of this conference will contribute to the work of the OECD Working Party on
Pesticides Drone sub-Group, which is overseeing a programme of work designed to develop a
risk assessment framework for regulatory authorities.
Drones are recognised as a technology that affords an opportunity to apply pesticide in a more
sustainable way than traditional methods, but there is a need to improve understanding of the
risks to human health and the environment associated with their use. The use of drones for the
application of pesticides in agriculture offers the prospect of real benefits from reducing the
costs – both economic and environmental – of applying pesticides by providing more carefully
targeted application and reduced drift mitigation, thereby reducing environmental impact and
risk. This event was highly topical given the wide range of attitudes to this technology in
Member countries; some jurisdiction only allow drone use by exception, while others are more
liberal. The production of OECD guidelines could help encourage all Member countries to
review the benefits of these technologies.
• Sustainability in Agriculture & Food Systems – Innovation, Indicators and

Implementation - Belgium, 23-24 May 2023
This conference brought together a diverse range of participants, including policymakers,

academia, civil society organisations, industry and other key stakeholders, to engage in a
balanced and fruitful discussion on pressing sustainability and innovation issues in agriculture.
Given the prevailing uncertainty caused by the conflict in Ukraine and the global food crisis driven
by climate change and extreme weather conditions, the conference emphasised the need to
consider these uncertainties when implementing sustainable practices. The participants
explored established sustainability concepts and innovative approaches aimed at achieving
sustainability in agriculture across different countries and regions. The first half of the conference
focused on sustainability in agriculture as a whole, while the second half delved into innovation
in agriculture and particularly the potential and regulatory landscape for New Genomic
Techniques in various parts of the world.

39
The primary objective was to identify indicators for sustainability that would foster a common
understanding of the concept. The discussions recognised the inherent diversity in agricultural
systems, including varying approaches to farming, crop selections, farm types, and production
standards. The challenge of reaching a consensus on a single, appropriate, and acceptable
concept of sustainability was acknowledged. In light of this, the conference explored
sustainability across a wide range of agricultural systems, considering environmental, economic,
and societal aspects. The discussions acknowledged the rapid evolution of genome editing and
its significance in developing new crop varieties and preserving local strains. The participants
explored the experiences of different countries, regions, and opinion groups that have already
implemented or are considering regulatory approaches to genome editing, including indicators
for sustainability.
• Beyond growth: Fishing for the future - United Kingdom, 3-14 June 2023
The aim of the Beyond Growth symposium was to provide a new vision for operationalising
fisheries in a wellbeing economy in order to address the multi-dimensional challenges that exist
in the fishing industry. The symposium brought together leading members of the scientific
community working on these issues, with a number of other stakeholders including fishers
representing different scales, decision makers from industry and policy makers. Specifically, it
increased scientific and practical understanding of wellbeing in fisheries; developed a vision and
practical framework for ‘beyond growth’ in the fishing industry; and brought together multiple
stakeholders to co-create recommendations.
Policymakers are already critically aware that seafood industries and human activities have
significant negative impacts on marine systems, which has led to decades of research on how to
make seafood production and consumption more sustainable and communities more resilient.
Positioning economic growth as an integral and vital aspect of sustainable development
unnecessarily and counterproductively restricts the means of achieving sustainability. OECD
countries should lead by example in setting a vision and pathway towards a more sustainable
seafood sector. In discussing multiple risks associated with the current system, the symposium
helped increase understanding and begin a policy-industry-research dialogue on strengthening
resilience within the fishing industry and society more broadly through transformed thinking and
approaches. Specific policy recommendations raised in the symposium include: starting with a
change in the mental model or paradigm currently used to talk about wellbeing and growth,
ensuring that wellbeing economics is found in ocean governance meetings, policy documents
and dialogues, ensuring there is representation at multiple stakeholder levels in decision making,
and highlighting and expanding local solutions driving a wellbeing economy
• The future role of ley-farming in cropping systems - Lithuania, 11-14 June 2023
The topic of this symposium links to grassland management in cropping systems, highlighting
the multiple and diverse ecological services provided by grassland. Stockless farming is
gradually growing in many countries; hence the contribution of ley-farming to ecosystem services
for improving the sustainability of cropping systems is becoming increasingly important in all
different farming systems (conventional, integrated, organic, conservation, carbon, climate-
smart, or regenerative). The symposium addressed the main critical dimensions of how to
manage natural capital by securing the availability and quality of natural resources such as Land,
Soil, Water, and Biodiversity, as well as Integrated Agricultural Production Systems.
In the future grasses could be exploited as raw materials for varieties of bio-based products and,
by extension, value chains of short-term grasslands offer new possibilities in the bioeconomy.
Similarly, developing knowledge based on ways to introduce ley-pastures into cropping systems
covers many vital issues. This session was designed to discuss ley-pastures as a resource for
producing forage or novel usage of biomass and their quality, feasibility for processing

40
(composts, proteins, bio-products, etc.) in future management systems. Biodiversity and

ecosystem services are the main drivers of ecological restoration, receiving more attention from
international initiatives. Diversifying cropping techniques has been proposed as one of the main
ways to move towards sustainable cropping systems. Ley pastures provide multiple ecosystem
services, such as nutrient input, biological control of pests and weeds, which might act positively
on regeneration of arable soil structure, soil microbial communities, etc. Ley can also contribute
to regenerating soil functions, increasing soil carbon sequestration and offer higher production
and other efficient ecosystem services, when combined with various species of functional plants.
• Food and feed for the future - France, 1 September 2023
This conference explored: how agri-food systems need to evolve towards sustainability and
resilience to ensure nutritional food security; the major system transformations required; and
alternative, diversified protein sources for sustainable food systems – insects, yeast and
microalgae. The conference highlighted several challenges for policy and regulatory bodies: the
need for the development of sustainability indices in the livestock sectors; the need for tools and
labelling standards for the assessment and authentication of livestock product quality (healthy-
tasty-safe) and provenance; regulatory challenges for novel, nutritional foods when criteria only
relate to food safety; how the sustainable “intention behaviour gap” should be addressed – the
difference between what people aspire to achieve and are aware of versus what they have
achieved in relation to movement towards sustainability behaviours; and the need to work with
policy makers and the food industry to encourage better choice given that choice can be easily
manipulated.
• Combatting resistance using bacteriopages for eco-sustainable agriculture and food

systems - Spain, 1213 September 2023
The emergence of antimicrobial resistance associated with widespread use of antimicrobials in

the livestock sector, agriculture, and fisheries, showed the need to find sustainable alternatives
to combat pathogenic bacteria. Similarly, food safety is involved in the control of undesirable
bacteria throughout the entire food chain from production to consumption, an important public
health function. In this context, the main objective of the event was focused on the evaluation of
bacteriophages as natural, safe and sustainable antimicrobials for application in the agrifood
sector as alternative to antibiotics and pesticides or, at least, to reduce their use. Both industry
and policy makers participated in the event presenting the update in their respective areas and
the future challenges to implement this in each sector. Strategies based on bacteriophages might
contribute to improving the resilience in the food system, and the biocontrol of plant diseases
using bacteriophages will reduce the contamination of food, soil and water with pesticides and
other chemical biocides that are dangerous for natural ecosystems and human health, thereby
maintaining sustainable agro-systems.
Information about these are posted on the CRP website.
CRP 2023 Fellowships completed in 2023 of particular interest to ICGB:
• Adapting crops to changing environments using related species and innovative pre-
breeding approaches
Agriculture sits at the nexus of almost all of humanities grand challenges, including food security,
climate change, and global poverty. Specifically, plant breeding has historically had a
fundamental role in shaping agricultural practices and can therefore have a large impact in the

41
development of a more sustainable and resilient agriculture. The goal of this fellowship was to
push the boundaries of plant breeding by deploying state of the art tools from satellites to
genomics to breed for sustainable agricultural systems using cereals as an example. Specifically,
the researchers provided new designs for large genomic evaluations of breeding programs as
well as improved genomic prediction methods with additional layers of phenomics and
environomics to breed for emerging ecosystem services traits.
• Advanced breeding tools for meeting sustainable production and resilience: from
satellites to genes
Agriculture sits at the nexus of almost all of humanities grand challenges, including food security,
climate change, and global poverty. Specifically, plant breeding has historically had a
fundamental role in shaping agricultural practices and can therefore have a large impact in the
development of a more sustainable and resilient agriculture. The goal of this fellowship was to
push the boundaries of plant breeding by deploying state of the art tools from satellites to
genomics to breed for sustainable agricultural systems using cereals as an example. Specifically,
the researchers provided new designs for large genomic evaluations of breeding programs as
well as improved genomic prediction methods with additional layers of phenomics and
environomics to breed for emerging ecosystem services traits.
• Environmental monitoring using honey bee colonies and a novel sampling tool
A challenge of current agriculture is to balance the use of agrochemicals for increased

productivity with the need to protect pollinator and environmental health. Monitoring for
environmental contamination is therefore crucial to guide stakeholders and inform policy
decisions towards increasing food security and environmental sustainability. The European
honey bee, Apis mellifera, has proven to be an effective bio-sampler of the environment as it
brings pathogens and contaminants to the hive where they can be. The goal of the project was
to develop an intercontinental collaboration for knowledge exchange and technology transfer on
bee-mediated monitoring and to facilitate a comprehensive study of the environmental
distribution of agrochemicals. The research project leverages previous knowledge from the
fellow and the host, as well as data collected during this new collaboration, and contributes to
the acquisition of science-based evidence to guide conversations and policies on pesticide used
in Canada, in European countries, and in other OECD members. It will also inform the
development of integrated pest management strategies to promote pollinator and environmental
health while supporting crop protection and productivity. The data will inform stakeholders and
policy makers towards evidence-base regulations regarding the use of agrochemicals to
increase pollinator and ecosystem health, the sustainability of agricultural system and increased
food security.

42
• Innovative approach to remove seafood pathogens along the seafood chain
The objective of this project was to enhance the food safety in the seafood industry by
implementing an innovative approach to combat biofilms of seafood pathogens Vibrio
parahaemolyticus and Listeria monocytogenes, based on combined biological and physical
methods. An important discovery was made during this research project: residues of a
disinfectant widely used along the seafood chain, both by professionals and individuals, can lead
to an overproduction of Vibrio biofilms on surfaces. This fosters the proliferation of this pathogen
and may result in cross-contamination of food. These findings could be of significant importance
for regional, national, or international competent authorities. They could serve as a basis to
develop new recommendations for cleaning and disinfection procedures in the seafood industry.
Additionally, these recommendations could specifically target individual users of this disinfectant
in domestic kitchens. By implementing these new recommendations, the research from this
project should contribute to enhancing food safety and reducing the risks of Vibrio contamination
in the seafood sector. These preventive measures would be beneficial for public health and the
entire food industry.
• Land tenure models for carbon positive land use: comparative case studies between
Scotland and New Zealand
It is argued that private property regimes in many global North countries present a structural
challenge to the transformation of food systems through sustainable agricultural production, and
that there has been insufficient attention by policymakers in addressing land tenure issues (and
in identifying innovative opportunities) in order to affect critical changes in land use. A similar
case can be made for the necessary shift to reduce carbon emissions, and to mitigate for and
adapt to climate change. Whilst policymakers appear to act slowly, international land markets
are responding rapidly to the opportunities of carbon trading, especially in neoliberal societies
such as the United Kingdom and New Zealand (home and host countries of the CRP fellow). This
project aimed to explore the implications of the growing carbon market on property regimes and
land governance in Scotland and New Zealand, to share knowledge between research and policy
in both countries, and to identify a framework of land tenure solutions to mitigate the
environmental and social risks of land use change for carbon, whilst maximising opportunities.
• Smart farming technologies and transformation in the work of farmers and advisers:
Implications for technology adoption and policy
This research project has confirmed and expanded the studies to date on the implications for
work from smart farming technologies. These findings are important to support the development
of practices and policies related to smart farming technologies which factor in the work
dimensions of technology selection and use on farm and highlight the important role of advisers
in technology implementation. This can assist in more appropriate technology selection and
assessment to support both farming and environmental goals at a regional and national level.
The research will be of interest internationally through identifying common issues across
Australia and the UK (home and host countries of the CRP fellow) that can be applied by
multinational companies to avoid a technology push approach to technology use on-farm
whereby the human and social dimensions are included in the evaluation of technologies leading
to more appropriate and better serviced options.

43
Interviews conducted with farmers and advisers showed they were very interested to hear about
the other country experiences and to be connected with others to share experiences. An online
workshop to be conducted in September to report the findings of the research and allow for cross-
country interaction and dialogue should have helped achieve this.
• Transcriptomic analysis of the Vibrio vulnificus pv. piscis exposed to fish mucus
Vibrio vulnificus pv. piscis is a fulminating pathogen causing a range of diseases of marine
animals including species essential in fisheries and as raw food sources such as eels and
shrimps. If the selected genes are essential for the virulence and the pathogenesis of V. vulnificus
pv. piscis, they will be characterised at molecular levels. Then molecular characteristics of the
selected genes can lead to the development of novel strategies to control the pathogen. For
example, development of small molecules to inhibit expression of the selected genes can
attenuate the virulence and pathogenesis of the Vibrio species. Attenuation of the virulence and
pathogenesis of the pathogen could be beneficial to increase the production rate of the marine
animals as important raw food sources.
Brief descriptions of these fellowships are posted on the CRP website.
Recent publications and papers:
• De la Fuente L. et al. (2023), Phytopathology, Vol. 113, N°6 ,“Two Xylella

fastidiosa subsp. multiplex strains isolated from almond in Spain differ in plasmid content and
virulence traits”, APS; https://doi.org/10.1094/PHYTO-06-22-0234-R
• De la Fuente L. et al. (2023), Phytopathology, Vol. 113, N°6, “Complete circularized
genome resources of seven strains of Xylella fastidiosa subsp. fastidiosa using hybrid assembly
reveals unknown plasmids”, APS; https://doi.org/10.1094/PHYTO-10-22-0396-A
• Gedeon C. et al. (2023), Applied Soil Ecology, Vol. 188, 104878, “Predicting microbial
responses to changes in soil physical and chemical properties under different land
management”, Elsevier; https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apsoil.2023.104878
• Kelling I., M. Carrigan and A. F. Johnson (2023), Food Security, “Transforming the
seafood supply system: challenges and strategies for resilience”, Springer;
https://doi.org/10.1007/s12571-023-01400-5
• Reyes F., A. Sofo et al. (2023), Journal of Soil Science and Plant Nutrition, 23, 4078–
4090, “Plant growth and root morphology are affected by earthworm-driven (Eisenia sp.)
Changes in soil chemico-physical properties: a mesocosm experiment with broccoli and faba
bean”,Springer Link; https://doi.org/10.1007/s42729-023-01325-0
• Rossignaud, L., D. Kelly, E. B. Spurr, D. J. Flaspohler, R. B. Allen and E. G. Brockerhoff
(2022), Avian Conservation and Ecology, 17(2):4 “Trends in bird counts 1978–2020 in a New
Zealand Nothofagus forest with variable control of mammalian predators”, The Resilience
Alliance; https://doi.org/10.5751/ACE-02176-170204
Note: The call for the submission of applications for 2025 research fellowship awards and conference sponsorship
will open in April 2024 until 10 September 2024 (midnight Paris time).
All relevant information and application forms will be available on the CRP website, through the link:
www.oecd.org/agriculture/crp.
Website: www.oecd.org/agriculture/crp
Contacts: Janet Schofield (TAD/PROG), Lee Ann Jackson (TAD/ATM)

44
UPCOMING OECD EVENTS IN BIOTECHNOLOGY 2024
29 January-2 Feb 2024 OECD Agricultural Seed Schemes: Technical Working Group Meeting,
Livingstone, Zambia (Contact: C. Gaspar, TAD/COD)
18-20 March 2024 31st Meeting of the Working Party for the Safety of Novel Foods & Feeds,
OECD Paris (Contact: R. Machida, ENV/EHS)
20-22 March 2024 38th Meeting of the Working Party on the Harmonisation of Regulatory
Oversight in Biotechnology, OECD Paris (Contact: S. Nakano, ENV/EHS)
23-24 April 2024 OECD Forest Seed and Plant Scheme: Technical Working Group Meeting,
Sweden (to be confirmed) (Contact: C. Gaspar, TAD/COD)
14-16 May 2024 19th Meeting of the Working Party on Biotechnology, Nanotechnology and
Converging Technologies (BNCT), OECD Paris (Contact: D. Winickoff,
STI/STP)
10-14 June 2024 OECD Agricultural Seed Schemes: Annual Meeting of the OECD Seed
Schemes, Nice, France (Contact: C. Gaspar, TAD/COD)
10 September 2024 Deadline for the Call for CRP applications for 2025 research fellowship
awards and conference sponsorship 2025 (Contact: J. Schofield,
TAD/PROG)
1-2 October 2024 OECD Forest Seed and Plant Scheme: Annual Meeting of the National
Designated Authorities, OECD Paris (Contact: C. Gaspar, TAD/COD)

45
OECD BIOTECHNOLOGY AND THE WORLD WIDE WEB
OECD’s web site includes much information on biotechnology and related topics. The web site allows
individual users to tailor the OECD site to their needs. By selecting the themes that interest them, visitors
can personalise their homepages at ‘My OECD’ to present the news, events, and documentation related
to their chosen themes. Links to more detailed web pages are given in related sections above.
➢ OECD’s portal: www.oecd.org
➢ OECD’s work on green growth: www.oecd.org/greengrowth (Eng.)

www.oecd.org/croissanceverte (Fr.)
➢ OECD’s global fora portal: www.oecd.org/global-relations/globalforums/ (Eng.)

www.oecd.org/fr/relations-mondiales/forumsmondiaux
➢ OECD’s work on biosafety and food/feed safety for transgenic products, “BioTrack” Online:
www.oecd.org//biotrack
➢ OECD’s BioTrack products database: https://biotrackproductdatabase.oecd.org
➢ OECD Conference on dsRNA-based Products:

http://www.oecd.org/chemicalsafety/pesticides-biocides/conference-on-rnai-based-
pesticides.htm
➢ OECD’s work on biodiversity: www.oecd.org/environment/resources/biodiversity/
➢ OECD STI’s emerging technologies; biotechnology, nanotechnology and converging

technologies (BNCT): www.oecd.org/sti/emerging-tech
➢ OECD’s key biotechnology indicators (KBI): oe.cd/kbi
➢ OECD’s key nanotech indicators (KNI): oe.cd/kni
➢ OECD-FAO Agricultural Outlook: www.agri-outlook.org/commodities/
➢ AMIS Market Monitor Report: www.amis-outlook.org/amis-monitoring/monthly-

report/en/
➢ International Energy Agency (IEA) work on renewable energy: https://www.iea.org/energy-

system/renewables
➢ Biofuture Platform (BfP), IEA facilitator: http://biofutureplatform.org/
➢ OECD’s work on agricultural productivity and innovation:

www.oecd.org/agriculture/topics/agricultural-productivity-and-innovation
➢ OECD’s seed certification schemes (agriculture, forest):

http://www.oecd.org/agriculture/seeds http://www.oecd.org/agriculture/forest
➢ OECD’s Cooperative Research Programme: Sustainable

Agricultural and Food Systems: www.oecd.org/agriculture/crp

46
Visit the OECD Biotechnology Update website to access the latest news and previous editions.
You can also sign up to the OECD Biotechnology Update newsletter to receive future editions directly
to your inbox.
Visit the OECD Biotechnology Update website to access the latest news and
previous editions.

47
WHO’S WHO IN BIOTECH AT OECD?
Jane RICHARDSON (ENV/EHS)

Executive Secretary to the ICGB; Head of Harmonisation of Regulatory Oversight
in Biotechnology (Biosafety) and Novel Food & Feed Safety and Pesticides programmes,
jane.richardson@oecd.org
_____________________________
Jesús ANTÓN (TAD/ARP)

Senior Agricultural Policy Analyst
jesus.anton@oecd.org
Enrico BOTTA (ENV/GGGR)

Green Growth and GGKP
enrico.botta@oecd.org
Patience BROWNE (ENV/EHS)

Principle Administrator, Pesticides, Hazard Assessment
patience.browne@oecd.org
Mercedes CAMPI (TAD/ARP)

Agricultural Policy Analyst
mercedes.campi@oecd.org
Koen DECONINCK (TAD/ATM)

Agricultural Policy Analyst
koen.deconinck@oecd.org
Annelies DEUSS (TAD/ATM)

AMIS policy database
annelies.deuss@oecd.org
Csaba GASPAR (TAD/COD)

OECD Forest Seed and Plant Scheme, OECD Seed Schemes
csaba.gaspar@oecd.org
Guillaume GRUÈRE (TAD/ARP)

Acting Head of Agricultural and Resource Policies Division
guillaume.gruere@oecd.org
Ben HENDERSON (ENV)

Senior Policy Analyst and Team Lead, Horizontal Initiatives
ben.henderson@oecd.org
Lee Ann JACKSON (TAD/ATM)

Head of Division, Agro-food Trade and Markets
leeann.jackson@oecd.org
Katia KAROUSAKIS (ENV/ETR)

Biodiversity Economics and Policy
katia.karousakis@oecd.org

48
Kumi KITAMORI (ENV)

Deputy Director of Environment
kumi.kitamori@oecd.org
Laura KREILING (STI/STP)

Junior Policy Analyst, Secretariat WP Innovation and Technology Policy
laura.kreiling@oecd.org
Ryoko MACHIDA (ENV/EHS)

Policy Analyst - Novel Food & Feed Safety
ryoko.machida@oecd.org
Jeremy MOORHOUSE (IEA/EMS/RED)

Energy Analyst - Renewable Energy & Bioenergy Markets
jeremy.moorhouse@iea.org
Satoshi NAKANO (ENV/EHS)

Policy analyst - Harmonisation of Regulatory Oversight in Biotechnology, BioTrack Online
satoshi.nakano@oecd.org
Edward PERRY (ENV/ETR)

Biodiversity, Land Use and Ecosystems
edward.perry@oecd.org
Jim PHILP (STI/STP)

Industrial and Environmental Biotechnology
james.philp@oecd.org
Douglas ROBINSON (STI/STP)

Policy Advisor, Bio, Nano, and Converging Technologies
douglas.robinson@oecd.org
Magda SACHANA (ENV/EHS)

Policy Analyst, Pesticides, Hazard Assessment
magdalini.sachana@oecd.org
Janet SCHOFIELD (TAD/PROG)

Cooperative Research Programme: Sustainable Agricultural and Food Systems
janet.schofield@oecd.org
Brigitte VAN BEUZEKOM (STI/STP)

Biotechnology Statistics, Nanotechnology Statistics
brigitte.vanbeuzekom@oecd.org
Martin VON LAMPE (TAD/PTA)

Agricultural Policies (incl. bioenergy)
martin.vonlampe@oecd.org
David WINICKOFF (STI/STP)

Senior Policy Analyst - Secretariat WP Biotechnology, Nanotechnology and Converging
Technologies david.winickoff@oecd.org

49
ENDNOTE: A BRIEF GUIDE TO THE OECD
The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) is an intergovernmental

organisation with 38 member countries2. The mission of the OECD is to promote policies that will
improve the economic and social well-being of people around the world. OECD brings together the
governments of countries committed to democracy and the market economy to support economic
growth, boost employment, raise living standards, maintain financial stability, assist other countries’
economic development, and contribute to growth in world trade.
The Organisation provides a setting where governments compare policy experiences, seek answers to
common problems, and identify better policies for better lives. An increasing number of non-member
economies participate in a wide range of activities, including some of those related to biotechnology.
The Council of OECD is the highest decision-making body of the Organisation. Its members are the
Ambassadors of the Member countries to OECD. It is chaired by OECD’s Secretary-General. Once a
year, it also meets at the level of Ministers from member countries. The Council decides on the annual
budget of Organisation as well as the content of the programme of work.
In addition to the Council, there are more than 300 committees, expert and working groups, which
undertake the Organisation’s programme of work. The governments of the Member countries nominate
the participants to all these groups.
You can also sign up to the OECD Biotechnology Update newsletter to receive
future editions directly to your inbox.
2OECD member countries are: Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, the Czech
Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan,
Korea, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Mexico, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, the
Slovak Republic, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Republic of Türkiye, the United Kingdom and the
United States. The European Commission also takes part in the work of the OECD.

Internal Co-ordination Group for Biotechnology
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Internal Co-ordination Group for Biotechnology

ICGB Newsletter No. 44, March 2024

ABOUT OECD’S INTERNAL CO -ORDINATION GROUP FOR BIOTECHNOLOGY

Contacts : Jane Richardson, Satoshi Nakano (ENV/EHS)

ICGB Newsletter No. 44, March 2024

GREEN GROWTH AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

The recordings of the sessions are available on the Forum website.

Contacts: Ben Henderson, Enrico Botta (ENV)

ICGB Newsletter No. 44, March 2024

Ongoing work on food systems

ICGB Newsletter No. 44, March 2024

Contact: Koen Deconinck (TAD/ATM)

ICGB Newsletter No. 44, March 2024

OECD AGRICULTURE MINISTERIAL MEETING

More information: Agriculture Ministerial - OECD Meeting of Agriculture Ministers 2022

Contact: Lee Ann Jackson (TAD/ATM)

ICGB Newsletter No. 44, March 2024

GLOBAL FORUM ON BIOTECHNOLOGY

Website: General information on the Global Fora: http://www.oecd.org/global-

Contact: Jane Richardson (ENV/EHS)

ICGB Newsletter No. 44, March 2024

HARMONISATION OF REGULATORY OVERSIGHT IN BIOTECHNOLOGY

The consensus document on Environmental Considerations for risk/safety

Works under development are as follows:

ICGB Newsletter No. 44, March 2024

• Moving towards “safe(r)-innovation-approach” in the context of modern biotechnology,

• 38th Meeting of the Working Party on the Harmonisation of Regulatory Oversight in

• Development in Delegations on Biosafety Issues, June 2022 – April 2023 (2023)

Website: BioTrack Online www.oecd.org/science/biotrack

Contacts: Satoshi Nakano, Jane Richardson, Ryoko Machida-Hirano (ENV/EHS)

ICGB Newsletter No. 44, March 2024

SAFETY OF NOVEL FOODS AND FEEDS

ICGB Newsletter No. 44, March 2024

Outreach and Engagement of Non Member Economies

Website: BioTrack Online www.oecd.org/biotrack

Contacts: Ryoko Machida-Hirano, Jane Richardson, Satoshi Nakano (ENV/EHS)

ICGB Newsletter No. 44, March 2024

Website: BioTrack Online www.oecd.org/biotrack

Contacts: Satoshi Nakano, Jane Richardson (ENV/EHS)

ICGB Newsletter No. 44, March 2024

BIODIVERSIY ECONOMICS AND POLICY

A forthcoming report on “Mainstreaming Biodiversity into Renewable Power Infrastructure”

ICGB Newsletter No. 44, March 2024

Recent publications and working papers:

• OECD (forthcoming), Mainstreaming Biodiversity into Renewable Power Infrastructure.

Contacts: Katia Karousakis, Edward Perry (ENV/ETR)

ICGB Newsletter No. 44, March 2024

REGULATION OF EXTERNALLY APPLIED DSRNA-BASED PRODUCTS FOR

ICGB Newsletter No. 44, March 2024

Publications and working papers:

Contacts: Magda Sachana, Jane Richardson (ENV/EHS)

ICGB Newsletter No. 44, March 2024

CONFERENCE ON INNOVATING MICROBIAL PESTICIDE TESTING

• improving test guidelines to evaluate potential effects of microbial pesticides on

ICGB Newsletter No. 44, March 2024

OECD (2023) Innovating Microbial Pesticide Testing: Conference Proceedings.

OECD (2023) Guidance Document on Baculoviruses as Plant Protection Products Series on

Contacts: Magda Sachana, Jane Richardson (ENV/EHS)

ICGB Newsletter No. 44, March 2024

GLOBAL FORUM ON TECHNOLOGY FOCUS GROUP ON SYNTHETIC BIOLOGY: