Biosafety Act No.24 of 2012 for GMOs and their products.

This Law consisting of 28 articles aims at (i) ensuring a safe level for human, animal, plant and environment health by establishing controls for the introduction, removal, transfer, production, management and use of GMOs and their products and (ii) contributing to the development of a regulatory framework for research and development in the field of genetic engineering. It is applied to (i) genetically modified organisms, including plants, animals and microorganisms for research, experiments or for agricultural or industrial production; (ii) genetically modified organisms intended for release in ecosystems and agriculture; and (iii) non-living products of genetically modified organisms produced locally or imported for industrial production or for human or animal consumption (raw or processed). Responsible for issuing the executive decisions and instructions for the application of the provisions of this Law in accordance with the international conventions is the Minister of Agriculture and Agrarian Reform. The Minister shall also establish a National Committee for bio-safety composed of specialized experts designated by the competent authority. The Committee shall be mainly responsible for (i) developing bio-safety policies; (ii) developing risk analysis principles and identify bio-security levels; (iii) developing and updating bio-safety regulations related to the introduction, removal, transfer, production, circulation and use of GMOs and their products in scientific research phases, development and testing in the containment site and in the open environment.
It is not allowed to engage any activity related to GMOs and their products without prior approval of the Ministry or the competent authority (art.10). The Ministry and the competent authority shall comply with the risk analysis system for activities related to GMOs and their products and shall cease any infringing activity on the proposal of the Committee (art.11). It is prohibited the advertisement or promotion of GMOs or their products before obtaining the prior approval of the Ministry or the competent authority (art.13). GMOs shall be subject to the control, inspection and sampling system by qualified plant and veterinary quarantine inspectors at entry points, except for specimens received for the purpose of scientific research (art.15). The Ministry and the competent authority, in cooperation with the Ministry for Environmental Affairs, shall study and monitor the impact of GMOs on the environment (art.21).