NCGA Coalition Urge EU to Follow WTO Obligations on Approval of Biotech Products (4-12-06)

The National Corn Growers Association (NCGA), along with the Ag Biotech Planning Committee, urged the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) to insist the European Union (EU) honor its World Trade Organization (WTO) obligations and end the moratorium on biotechnology products.

In a recent letter to USTR Rob Portman, the committee applauded the conclusions and recommendations in the WTO panel draft interim report on the EU’s moratorium on the approval of biotechnology products. The committee insisted more needs to be done to effectively begin trading of biotechnology products.

The Ag Biotech Planning Committee is a coalition representing farmers, merchandisers, food manufacturers and processors, and biotechnology providers that support the continued availability and marketability of agriculture and food biotechnology.

In a letter sent by the coalition on April 7, the committee noted the panel’s conclusions are a “meaningful first step in removing the barriers to trade of biotech agriculture and food products imposed by the EU.” The committee also said the EU’s approval process, which includes science-based decisions and safety reviews, is not functioning--all resulting in the moratorium remaining in place.

The key conclusions of the draft interim report include:

• International trade rules fully support trade in products of biotechnology for planting, processing and marketing, subject to science-based regulation;


• De facto bans or moratoria on approvals by Europe and other WTO member countries will not escape scrutiny;


• The Biosafety Protocol and the Convention on Biodiversity are not relevant to the interpretation of the issues on the moratorium;


• Measures taken under the guise of the precautionary principal, absent relevant scientific evidence, are not justified; and


• Politically motivated bans or moratoria by WTO member states are not consistent with members’ WTO obligations.

The WTO also found that the agreement on the Application of Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures (SPS Agreement) applies to biotech products, including premarketing approval regulatory regimes like the EU. The panel also found nine EU member states’ marketing and import bans on products already approved for sale in the EU violated the EU’s obligations under the SPS Agreement.

The organizations also stated that product regulatory reviews and application reviews are other critical steps needed in order for the EU to comply with the WTO and end the trade barriers regarding biotech products.

The groups also encouraged the USTR to move forward with a WTO challenge of the EU’s discriminatory and trade-restrictive traceability and labeling regulations.

“These regulations are costing U.S. farmers and food exporters millions in lost sales to the EU and could result in even greater losses of U.S. exports if they are adopted by other countries around the globe,” the letter cited.

To view the letter in its entirety, click on www.ncga.com and go to the Letters section.