Brief description of the regulatory framework

CONBIO (National Agricultural and Forestry Biosafety Commission) under the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock is in charge of GMO risk assessment. The Commission is composed of representatives from MAG (Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock), MSPyBS (Ministry of Public Health and Social Welfare), MIC (Ministry of Industry and Commerce), SENAVE (National Service for Plant and Seed Health and Quality), SENACSA (National Service for Animal Health and Quality), INFONA (National Forestry Institute), IPTA(Paraguayan Institute of Agricultural Technology), MADES (Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development) and UNA (National University of Asunción). Market approval is granted by the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock, based on the recommendations issued by CONBIO. CONBIO is also in charge of granting permits for the performance of GMO confined activities. Paraguay has a separate procedure for the treatment of events that have been already approved in countries with experienced and transparent regulatory systems that base their risk assessments on the Codex Alimentarius.