Panama: Agricultural Biotechnology Annual
Link to report:
On April 16, 2019, AquaBounty, a U.S. company that developed genetically-engineered (GE) salmon in Boquete, Panama closed its production and research facilities. AquaBounty left Panama due to the Government of Panama’s deferred decision on the approval on local consumption. Approval would have required additional studies beyond those already conducted for the Canadian and United States Food and Drug Administration approvals. Regarding plant biotechnology, the last field trials were held in 2015 for Herculex corn for local production. The company subsequently decided not to move forward with commercialization. Since biotechnology development is not a priority for the Government of Panama, it has not established implementing regulations for laws on biosafety and biotechnology.
