Posted November 5, 2013
Several agricultural exporters and farm groups recently
sent a letter to U.S. Trade Representative Ambassador Michael Froman, Commerce
Secretary Petty Pritzker and Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack voicing concerns
about China’s process of approving new biotechnology traits, according to a
press release from the American Farm Bureau Federation available here. The letter is available here.
The letter comes as officials prepare for a meeting of
the Joint Commission on Commerce and Trade (JCCT) with the nation’s largest
trading partner in December.
The letter stated: “China is now the largest export
market for U.S. agricultural goods valued at over $32 billion in 2012. However, in spite of our growing successful
trade relationship, China’s biotech approval process has gone from being slow
but predictable to being even slower, unpredictable and nontransparent.”
The groups argue that China’s approval system is
effectively preventing U.S. farmers from adopting new technologies to increase
yields, fight pests and weeds, enhance quality and improve environmental
performance.
Addressing biotechnology in other areas of the world, representatives
from the American Sugarbeet Growers
Association (ASGA) and Syngenta
recently met with industry leaders during a trip to the United Kingdom,
Switzerland, Sweden, and Russia, according to an article by AgProfessional
available here.
The group met with representatives from British Sugar
to discuss the state of the industry in the European Union. They also toured Syngenta facilities in
Sweden and Switzerland, and met with Syngenta leadership and researchers to
discuss future innovations for the sugarbeet industry.
The Russian sugar industry representative also met with
the visiting U.S. groups to discuss the current state of the sugarbeet industry
in Russia and Europe, and plans for the future.
Jeff Pomeroy, head of the sugarbeet crop portfolio at
Syngenta, said, “The day served as a great opportunity for the grower leaders
to see the entire hybrid development process and they were impressed with the
efforts Syngenta devotes to sugarbeet breeding.”
For more information on biotechnology and international
trade, please visit the National Agricultural Law Center’s website here
and here.
