ASA Supports Biotechnology Report From
House Subcommittee On Basic Research
SAINT LOUIS, Mo. The
American Soybean Association
(ASA) announced support for a
report prepared by the Subcom
mittee on Basic Research of the
U.S. House of Representatives’
Agriculture Committee, that
found immense benefits and sci
entifically sound regulation of
agricultural biotechnology.
The report is titled “Seeds of
Opportunity: An Assessment of
the Benefits, Safety, and Over
sight of Plant Genomics and Ag
ricultural Biotechnology.”
“ASA welcomes this new
report that reconfirms, and reas
sures consumers, that agricul
tural biotechnology is soundly
tested and regulated,” said ASA
President Marc Curtis, a soy
bean producer from Leland,
Miss. “This report adds to a
wide range of reports and stud
ies that have looked in-depth at
biotechnology and found it to be
safe for consumers and the envi
ronment, and of great potential
benefit.”
The House Subcommittee
report says years of research and
experience demonstrate that
plant varieties produced using
biotechnology, and the foods de
rived from them, are just as safe
as similar varieties produced
using classical plant breeding.
The report says the promise of
agricultural biotechnology is im
mense, and advances in this
technology will result in crops
with a wide range of desirable
traits that will directly benefit
farmers, consumers, and the en
vironment and increase global
food production and quality.
The report found that the cur
rent generation of pest-resistant
and herbicide-tolerant agricul
tural plants produced using
biotechnology has reduced
chemical inputs and improved
yields for American farmers.
The report says future adoption
of new varieties will continue
this trend and will solve intract
able pest problems, help protect
the environment, and lower
costs to consumers.
According to the report, wide
spread use of pest-resistant crop
varieties developed using agri
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cultural biotechnology is un
likely to accelerate the
emergence of pesticide-resistant
insect strains and may actually
be more effective in preventing
their emergence when compared
to spray applications of similar
pesticides.
The report found that the
concept of “substantial equiva
lence” in the regulation of foods
developed using agricultural
biotechnology is scientifically
sound and provides a useful his
torical baseline for judging
safety. And the report says there
is no scientific justification for
labeling foods based on the
method by which they are pro
duced. Labeling of agricultural
biotechnology products would
confuse, not inform, consumers
and send a misleading message
on safety.
“ASA is pleased that in addi
tion to its findings, the report
makes recommendations that
re-enforce sound science as the
basis for oversight and policies
affecting biotechnology prod
ucts, labeling and marketing,”
said Curtis.
The House Subcommittee
report recommends that Federal
regulatory oversight of agricul
ture biotechnology should be
risk-based and guided by the
characteristics of the plant, its
intended use, and the environ
ment into which it is to be intro
duced, not by the method used
to produce it.
The report says the FDA
should maintain its current
science-based policy on labeling
of foods created using biotech
nology as described in its 1992
Statement of Policy. There is no
scientific justification for special
labeling of food products devel
oped using agricultural biotech
nology, as a class.
The report recommends the
Administration should work to
ensure that markets for prod
ucts of agricultural biotechnol
ogy are not restricted by
scientifically unsound measures.
The United States should not
international agree-
accept any
ments that violate scientific
principles and limit trade in, or
mandate labeling of, a plant or
food product based on the
method used to develop it.
And, the House Subcommit
tee report says the Administra
tion, industry, and scientific
community have 3 responsibility
to educate the public and im
prove the availability of infor
mation on the long record of safe
use of agricultural biotechnol
ogy products and research activ
ities.
The report points out that
almost without exception, the
crop plants in use today have
been genetically modified. The
development of new plant varie
ties through selective breeding
has been improving agriculture
and food production for thou
sands of years. The report says
the development of the science
of genetics in the 20th century
was a tremendously important
factor in the plant breeding pro
grams that have produced the
remarkable diversity of fruits,
vegetables, and grains that we
enjoy today and that provide
food security for the poor na
tions of the world.
The report emphasizes that
biotechnology has had an unin
terrupted record of safe use, and
it will be a key element in the
fight against malnutrition
worldwide. In addition, the
merging of medical and agricul
tural biotechnology has opened
up new ways to develop plant
varieties with characteristics to
enhance health.
“ASA commends the House
Agriculture Committee and
Subcommittee Chairman Nick
Smith for their efforts to objec
tively examine issues surround
ing agricultural biotechnology,”
said Curtis. “We all benefit from
the continued responsible man
agement of biotechnology, be
cause our future is one where
every consumer has the poten
tial to benefit, many times over,
from the variety of great accom
plishments that will come from
the biotech industry.”
**
Center Announces
Bull Sale Report
STATE COLLEGE (Centre
Co.) - The Pennsylvania De
partment of Agriculture’s Meat
Animal Evaluation Center has
announced the results of its 27th
Annual Performance Tested
Bull Sale March 31. The sale
was part of the 11th annual Beef
Expo.
State Agriculture Secretary
Sam E. Hayes Jr. brought greet
ings from the Pennsylvania De
partment of Agriculture and
reaffirmed Pennsylvania’s sup
port of agriculture. Hayes also
discussed the status of the new
Meat Animal Evaluation Center
and his commitment to this
project.
Dr. Terry Etherton, head, De
partment of Dairy and Animal
Science, brought greetings from
Penn State to the huge crowd
and pledged support for animal
agriculture. Paul Slayton, the
new executive director of the
Pennsylvania Beef Council,
asked the crowd to sign a peti
tion supporting the construction
of a new Meat Animal Evalua
tion Center, to be presented to
the governor.
The PCA award for the top
indexing bull of all breeds was
presented to Marlin Paul of
Mahantongo Angus Farm. They
bred the Angus bull that re
ceived this award and the high
est price of the day. This bull
sold for $3,550 to Charles W.
Homan of Spring Mill. This
record setting performance bull
was a son of a previous top
performing bull the Pauls
bought through Pennsylvania’s
1997 Performance Tested Bull
sale.
The second-highest selling
bull of the day was an Angus
bred by Paul and Bette Slayton,
which sold to Gregory Farr,
Millville, for $3,000.
The 32 Angus bulls sold for an
average of $1,777, with only
three of the Angus returning less
than $1,400.
The 24 Simmentals cata
logued was the largest number
of Simmental bulls ever offered
through Pennsylvania’s Per
Lancaster Farming, Saturday, April 29, 2000-03
formance Tested Bull sales.
Twenty-one Simmental bulls
sold for $25,626, to average
$1,220. The top-selling Simmen
tal was also the top-indexing,
and was consigned by John
Myers, Dallastown. This black
ET bull was purchased by
Charles Homan, Spring Mills,
for $2,600. The second and third
highest indexing Simmentals
sold for $1,550 each, which was
the next highest price paid for
Simmental bulls. The second
highest indexing Simmental was
bred by Jack Herr of Freder
icksburg and sold to Ken Hebei,
Grantville, Pa. The next highest
indexing Simmental was a
maternal brother to the top
indexing Simmental, consigned
by Phil Druck and purchased by
Wilfred Markey of Dallastown.
The top-indexing Hereford
bull was consigned by Sally
Abrams, Livingston Manor,
N.Y., and purchased by Robert
Granter of Troy for $1,200. The
top-selling Hereford consigned
by Ralph Strouse, Wheel Estate
Acres, was purchased for $1,600
by Thomas Mullinix for the
USDA. The second highest sell
ing Hereford was bred by Frank
Phoenix, McVeytown, and sold
to Ed Perkins, Beech Lake, for
$1,500. The seven Hereford bulls
averaged $1,182.
The top-indexing Charolais,
consigned by Bratton Charolais
Farms of McVeytown, bought
$1,200 from Samuel McKeehan
of Mount Union.
The top-indexing and top
selling Limousin bull consigned
by Kevin Murphy, Saltsburg,
sold to Gerald Culler, McCon
nellsburg, for $1,200.
The 62 bulls averaged $1,503,
making it a very successful sale
overall.
For more information about
Pennsylvania’s Performance
Testing Programs, contact
Glenn Eberly, director, Pennsyl
vania Department of Agricul
ture’s Meat Animal Evaluation
Center, 651 Fox Hollow Road,
State College, PA 16803, (814)
238-2527 or (814) 865-5857 mes
sage and/or fax.
AGJA Sets Eastern
Regional Show
WESTMINSTER, Colo.
The American Gelbvieh Junior
Association is conducting its
AGJA Eastern Regional Show
at T. Ed Garrison Arena in
Clemson, S.C., June 10-11.
Entries are $2O per head if re
ceived by Mary 21. Mail entries
to Jim Blackwell, 12860 McCol
man Rd., Gibson, NC 28343.
Entries are also accepted show
day and the fee is $4O per head.
Cattle may begin arrival at 4
p.m. on Friday, June 9. All cattle
must be in place by 9 a.m. on
Saturday, June 10. Registration
begins at 10 a.m. The morning is
filled with the poster contest,
sales talk contest, and the
Gelbvieh Quiz Bowl. A spon
sored lunch will be served at
noon.
The showmanship contest is
set for the afternoon. A spon
sored dinner caps the day’s ac
tivities.
On Sunday, f une 11, the day
kicks off with a sponsored
breakfast. The cattle show
begins with heifers, followed by
cow-caif pairs and ending with
bred and owned bulls.
For more information on the
AGJA Eastern Regional Show,
contact Jim Blackwell at (910)
268-4111.