The Bhutan Biosafety Clearing House is an online national information sharing platform established as per Article 20 of the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety. It is designed to facilitate the exchange of scientific, technical, environmental and legal information on Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) or Living Modified Organisms (LMOs). It is managed by Bhutan Agriculture and Food Regulatory Authority (BAFRA), the national focal point for Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety (CPB) for Bhutan. The BBCH allows the biosafety regulatory officials, Biosafety Technical Working Group, academia, food importers and other interested stakeholders to easily share and access biosafety related information in a transparent, accurate and timely manner.

Bhutan ratified the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety in August 2002 and enacted the Biosafety Act of Bhutan in 2015. Bhutan has adopted a precautionary policy concerning GMOs/LMOs, with the aim to protect, conserve and safeguard the biodiversity in the country and promote organic agriculture. BAFRA under the Ministry of Agriculture and Forests is the designated national competent authority for the implementation and enforcement of biosafety-related activities.

The Biosafety Act prohibits the research and development of GMOs/LMOs using modern biotechnology and also bans the environmental release or cultivation of LMOs/GMOs. However, non-viable forms of GMOs intended for use as food, feed and processing are allowed for importation upon prior approval. The approval process involves safety assessment by the Biosafety Technical Working Group and approval by the National Biosafety Board.

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National Training on Biosafety Repository Tools, March 3-5, 2020

National Training workshop on GM Food Safety Assessment, 4 – 15 February 2019

National Training on Genetically-Modified (GM) Food Safety Assessment, Risk Communication, and Advocacies Programme, 23 – 27 July 2018