The Federal Law regulates relations in genetic engineering activity and is intended to ensure the implementation of the presidential directives issued following the Russian Security Council meeting On the Status and Problems of Ensuring National Security in Connection with the Use of Genetically Modified Organisms of February 12, 2014.
To ensure environmental security and protect human health, the Federal Law provides for control over the release of genetically modified organisms into the environment and monitoring of the impact on people and the environment of such organisms and products obtained from or containing such organisms.
Based on the monitoring results, the Government may ban the import into Russia of genetically modified organisms designed to be released into the environment and (or) products obtained from or containing such organisms.
The Federal Law prohibits growing and cultivating plants and animals, the genetic code of which has been modified by genetic engineering methods, or which contain genetically engineered material, the introduction of which may not result from natural processes (including the use of the seeds of such plants for sowing purposes), except for growing and cultivating such plants and animals for expert examination and research purposes.
The Federal Law also provides for administrative liability for the violation of Russian laws covering genetic engineering activity.