The long and complex process that seed genetics companies typically face as they work to shepherd crop biotech traits through the U.S. regulatory approval is delaying American farmers’ ability to obtain seeds they need to battle weeds and insects, according to officials with seed genetics companies and a biotech trade group. And, they said, the U.S. regulatory process could be putting U.S. agriculture at a competitive disadvantage against global competitors that have sped their approval processes.

"The U.S. regulatory system is not helping our farmers," said Adrianne Mass­­ey, managing director for science and regulatory affairs in food and agriculture for the Bio­technology Industry Organization (BIO).

"Other countries, like Brazil and Canada, are making it a priority of getting crops approved faster so farmers there can grow them," Massey said in recent presentation to Farm Bureau members from Iowa and other states. "The...