Decree No. 1/1999. of the Ministry of Agriculture and Regional Development on the implementation of Act XXVII of 1998 on biotechnology, in agriculture and food-industry.

This Decree covers the establishment of gmo-labs, genetic modification, contained use of gmos, deliberate release of gmos into the environment, commercialization of gmos, export or import of gmos, transportation of gmos in the field of agriculture and food-industry. The Biotechnology Committee is established within the National Institute for Agricultural Quality Control. The competent agricultural (biotechnology) authorities are the sections for agriculture, for plant health, for animal health and for food-production of the Ministry of Agriculture and Regional Development. The environmental and public health authorities (which belong to the Ministry of Environmental Protection and to the Ministry of Health) as special authorities take part in the procedure of the competent agricultural authorities. Importers shall declare to the competent agricultural authority whether the consignment contains or not genetically modified organism or product thereof. The certificate about the result of the detection issued by one of the three detection centers shall be attached to the declaration. The competent agricultural authority may decide the establishment and the size of genetic protection zones, if necessary, which is an isolation distance between those fields where traditional and genetically modified plants are cultivated. The registration of the species could be applied for after receipt of permit of the release from the competent agricultural authority. After the species is registered the permit for the commerciallization can be applied for. In the permit for commercialization the issuing authority must define those products of the plant or of the animal which this permit is also valid for. The competent agricultural authority decides on the scale of production of the permitted gmo. A data-base is established in the Agricultural Biotechnology Center of Godollo for the registration of the permits. In case the production for agricultural purpose is carried out in a contained system the genetically modified animal species shall not be registered. The genetically modified animals are not allowed to be bred and they or their semen are not allowed to be marketed. Products consisting of or containing a gmo, or produced from a gmo are subject to labelling.