Biodiversity Conservation Agency, in coordination with CropLife Asia, held a workshop on Insect Resistance Management (IRM) on Genetically Modified Crops in Vietnam. The workshop took place in Vinh Phuc province on August 3-4, 2017.

Biodiversity Conservation Agency Director, Phạm Anh Cường, stressed the need to establish and issue the guidelines for risk assessment of GM crops. The presentations were focused on the following topics:

• - current status of granting biosafety approval certificates for GM events in Vietnam
• - IRM principles & considerations for an effective IRM program
• - international approaches to insect management on GM crops
• - the Philippine experience on IRM
• - international experience in establishing, implementing, and monitoring herbicide resistance management plans
• - proposal of IRM strategy and monitoring protocol for Vietnam
• - draft of Supplementary plan, Amendment of the Decree 69/2010/NĐ-CP dated 21/6/2010 of the Government.

The workshop participants discussed and commented on Vietnam's policies and systems for biosafety management of GMO; the situation of biosafety approval certificates of GM crops in Vietnam; program and guidelines for IRM; and possible changes in the weed populations of glyphosate tolerant maize cultivation systems.

For more information, read the Vietnamese news at the Vietnam Biosafety Clearing House Portal.