WASHINGTON _ President Donald Trump signed an executive order Tuesday directing federal agencies to ease rules for approving genetically modified crops and other agricultural biotechnology.
The order instructs the U.S. Agriculture Department, the Food and Drug Administration and the Environmental Protection Agency _ all of which have jurisdiction over genetically engineered agricultural products _ to review their biotechnology regulations to streamline approval processes, according to a White House fact sheet.
Trump signed the order Tuesday during a stop at an ethanol plant in politically important Iowa. The order is intended to speed approval of new agricultural biotechnology, reduce developers' costs and encourage more investment in GMO crops, the White House said in a fact sheet.
