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The delegation from the U.S. Grains Council and National Corn Growers
Association (NCGA), addresses the media in Geneva, Switzerland Wednesday,
June 13, 2001. From left: Leon Corzine, Biotech Working Group member
and Illinois farmer, Lee Klein President of the NCGA and Nebraska
farmer, Rick Tolman the NCGA's Executive Vice President and Fred
Yoder, Chairman of NCGA's Biotechnology Working Group and Ohio farmer.
The association sent a delegation to Europe to meet officials and
farm lobbyists and learn about consumer concerns there. (AP Photo/Donald
Stampfli) |
NCGA
CEO: EU Trip Was 'Stunning Success' (6-19-01)
Rick Tolman, Executive
Vice President and CEO of National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) is
calling the recent joint biotech mission to the European Union (EU)
a "Stunning Success."
Representatives
from the NCGA and the U. S. Grains Council (USGC) returned Saturday
after a six-day joint mission in Europe, where they discussed trade
issues and biotechnology with EU officials.
The six-person NCGA/USGC
team visited Brussels, Rotterdam, Geneva and Paris, meeting with corn
co-product importers, European Commission officials, World Trade Organization
(WTO) ambassadors, European news media, consumer groups and leaders
of the French Corn Growers Association, among others.
Rick Tolman said
the trip exceeded all expectations. "The representatives we met
with had never met with U.S. (farmers) before and they responded well
to our message since it came from actual farmers."
NCGA Biotechnology
Action Team chairman and Plain City, Ohio farmer Fred Yoder felt the
trip yielded positive results. "All of the representatives we met
with appreciated our willingness to sit down face-to-face and listen,"
he said. "They were very interested in the fact that using biotech
is an agronomic, economic and environmental consideration for U.S. farmers
and not something that's done blindly without reason."
Yoder said also
he appreciated USGC allowing growers to accompany them on this mission.
"I can't thank them enough for allowing us to go," he said.
"By taking actual growers along on this trip, USGC and NCGA has
really made this mission a breakthrough."
Tolman said a primary
obstacle during the meetings was the myths surrounding biotech. "One
of the myths is the United States only sends biotech corn overseas and
we only use non-biotech," he said. "We want them to know the
U.S. is customer-friendly when it comes to trade. We want to send the
message we can send the right product for the right market.
"We must continue
to release accurate information," Tolman continued. "Again,
when they heard U.S. farmers talk about how they lived on the land they
farmed and would not farm anything that's going to hurt their land or
their families, it was a positive message that was received well by
our hosts."
Participating in
the mission along with Tolman and Yoder were: Lee Klein, NCGA president
and farmer from Battle Creek, Neb; Len Corzine, NCGA Biotechnology Working
Group member and farmer from Assumption, Ill; David McGuire, USGC director
of trade relations and global strategies; and Ellen Dougherty, USGC
director of communications.
For more information
about the National Corn Growers Association, visit www.ncga.com. For
more information about U.S. Grains Council, visit www.grains.org.
Last
reviewed June 19, 2001
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