In a Federal Register notice, USDA said it has drafted an environmental assessment and a finding of no significant impact if a parasitic wasp, Aphelinus rhamn, is used as a biologic control against the soybean aphid, Aphis glycines. USDA is proposing to issue permits for field release of the wasp to reduce aphid damage to soybeans. The aphid, native to Asia, was discovered in the United States in 2000 “and has since become a major pest,” says USDA. In 2009, the soybean aphid was found in 30 states and three Canadian provinces.
The review determined that “release of this biological control agent will not have a significant impact on the quality of the human environment,” said USDA.
USDA also published a Federal Register notice that it concurs with the World Organization for Animal Health’s designations of negligible risk of control risk of mad cow disease in 15 regions.