A36-Lancaster Farming, Saturday, May 17, 2003
U.S., Cooperating Countries File WTO Case Against EU
WASHINGTON, D.C. On
Tuesday, U.S. Trade Representa
tive Robert B. Zoellick and U.S.
Agriculture Secretary Ann M.
Veneman announced that the
U.S., Argentina, Canada, and
Egypt will file a World Trade Or
ganization (WTO) case against
the European Union (EU) over
its illegal five-year moratorium
on approving agricultural biotech
products.
Other countries expressing
support for this case by joining it
as third parties include Australia,
Chile, Colombia, El Salvador,
Honduras, Mexico, New Zealand,
Peru, and Uruguay.
“The EU’s moratorium vio
lates WTO rules. People around
the world have been eating bio
tech food for years. Biotech food
helps nourish the world’s hungry
population, offers tremendous
opportunities for better health
and nutrition, and protects the
environment by reducing soil ero
sion and pesticide use,” said
Zoellick. “We’ve waited patiently
for five years for the EU to follow
the WTO rules and the recom
mendations of the European
Commission, so as to respect
safety findings based on careful
science. The EU’s persistent re
sistance to abiding by its WTO
obligations has perpetuated a
trade barrier unwarranted by the
EC’s own scientific analysis,
which impedes the global use of a
technology that could be of great
benefit to farmers and consumers
around the world.”
“With this case, we are fight
ing for the interests of American
agriculture. This case is about
playing by the rules negotiated in
Forums Provide Grassroots Input
On Dairy Checkoff Programs
PHILADELPHIA Members
of the Mid-Atlantic Dairy Associ
ation board of directors were
among 400 producers nationwide
who participated in five regional
planning forums focusing on
2004 dairy checkoff programs.
Hosted by Dairy Management
Inc., which manages the national
dairy checkoff program, the fo
rums provided for grassroots
input on the 2004 Unified Mar
keting Plan. Dairy farmers at
tending the forums, conducted in
March and April, reviewed cur
rent dairy promotion and mar
keting campaigns and comment
ed on strategic plans for future
programs.
“It’s important for us to hear
what dairy producers think about
our promotion efforts,” said R.
Steven Graybeal, a Lancaster
County dairy farmer and chair
man of Mid-Atlantic Dairy Asso
ciation. “This type of grassroots
Scientists Urge EU To End Biotech Food Ban
WASHINGTON, D.C.— A dis
tinguished panel of international
scientists gathered in Washing
ton recently to speak out against
the European Union’s (EU’s)
moratorium on trade in geneti
cally engineered foods.
“The European Union’s refus
al to license new biotech crops is
a clear and blatant violation of its
John Schwartz Memorial Golf Tournament June 5
LANCASTER (Lancaster Co.)
The Lancaster County Poultry
Association has announced plans
for the second annual John H.
Schwartz Memorial Golf Tourna
ment June 5 at the Foxchase Golf
Course, Stevens.
This tournament celebrates the
memory of the former county ex
good faith. The European Union
has failed to comply with its
WTO obligations,” said Vene
man. “Biotechnology is helping
farmers increase yields, lower
pesticide use, improve soil con
servation, (control) water pollu
tion, and help reduce hunger and
poverty around the world.
“Farmers here and elsewhere
must be assured that their crops
won’t be unfairly rejected simply
because they were produced
using biotechnology. The EU ac
tions threaten to deny the full de
velopment of a technology that
holds enormous potential benefits
to both producers and consumers
worldwide, while also providing a
very significant means to combat
hunger and malnutrition that af
flict hundreds of millions of peo
ple across the developing world.”
The WTO agreement on sani
tary and phytosanitary measures
(SPS) recognizes that countries
are entitled to regulate crops and
food products to protect health
and the environment. The WTO
SPS agreement requires, how
ever, that members have “suffi
cient scientific evidence” for such
measures, and that they operate
their approval procedures with
out “undue delay.” Otherwise,
there is a risk countries may
without justification use such
regulations to thwart trade in
safe, wholesome, and nutritious
products.
Before 1999, the EU approved
nine agriculture biotech products
for planting or import. It then
suspended consideration of all
new applications for approval,
and has offered no scientific evi
dence for this moratorium on
input assures that dairy checkoff
programs work to help build de
mand in a way that benefits U.S.
dairy producers.”
Mid-Atlantic Dairy Associa
tion board members attended a
forum March 20-21 in Albany,
N.Y. They reviewed the following
five strategic platforms for driv
ing dairy demand in 2004:
• Marketing channels, featur
ing key partnerships with retail
grocery chains, national restau
rant chains and food manufac
turers, such as those participating
in the 3-A-Day of Dairy cam
paign.
• Childhood nutrition, includ
ing the “New Look of School
Milk” program, which aims to
make “enhanced milk” (more
flavors of milk in single-serve,
plastic resealable containers
available through the school feed
ing line, ala carte line and vend
ing) pervasive in schools across
obligations under trade treaties it
has signed and ratified,” said
Competitive Enterprise Institute
Director of Food Safety Policy
Gregory Conko. “More impor
tantly, it poses a genuine threat
to the health and well-being of
people throughout the developing
world.”
As a direct consequence of the
tension director. Hole sponsor
ships at $lOO are still being
taken. Cost per person to attend
is $6O, which includes greens fee,
cart, range balls, refreshments,
prizes, and chicken barbecue
meal after play.
Registration and lunch is
scheduled at 11:30 a.m. “Shot
new approvals. As EU Environ
ment Commissioner Margot
Wallstrom said about three years
ago (July 13,2000): “We have al
ready waited too long to act. The
moratorium is illegal and not jus
tified ... the value of biotechno
logy is poorly appreciated in Eu
rope.”
Agricultural biotechnology is a
continuation of the long tradition
of agricultural innovation that
has provided the basis for rising
prosperity for the past millenni
um. Humankind has historically
progressed in boosting agricultur
al productivity, quality, and
choices by harnessing science to
develop new forms of crops.
More than 145 million acres
(58 million hectares) of biotech
crops were grown in the world in
2002. Worldwide, about 45 per
cent of soy, 11 percent of com, 20
percent of cotton, and 11 percent
of rapeseed are biotech crops. In
the U.S., 75 percent of soy, 34
percent of com, and 71 percent of
cotton are biotech crops.
Numerous organizations, re
searchers and scientists have de
termined that biotech foods pose
no threat to humans or the envi
ronment. Examples include the
French Academy of Medicine
and Pharmacy, and the French
Academy of Sciences, the 3,200
scientists who cosponsored a dec
laration on biotech foods and nu
merous scientific studies, includ
ing a joint study conducted by
the seven national academies of
science (the National Academies
of Science of the United States,
Brazil, China, India, and Mexico,
plus the Royal Society of London
and the Third World Academy of
Sciences).
the country.
• Innovation strategies, such
as extended shelf life dairy prod
ucts and other emerging technol
ogies for dairy ingredients, in
cluding cheese, whey, and dry
milk.
• Dairy image programs,
which help maintain and en
hance consumer confidence in
dairy products and dairy farm
ing.
• Export marketing, including
demand-building market devel
opment and expansion programs
in Latin America, the Pacific
Rim, Mexico, and other global
markets.
According to Graybeal, pro
ducer input has led to significant
shifts in national marketing ef
forts. One example is the devel
opment of the 3-A-Day Dairy
program, a nutrition-based con
sumer marketing and education
initiative.
EU moratorium, numerous de
veloping countries have resisted
adopting high-yielding biotech
crops for fear of losing important
European export markets. Last
fall, the countries of Zambia and
Zimbabwe even refused to accept
U.S. food aid, for fear that Euro
peans would cease future imports
from those countries.
gun” start is 1 p.m. The tourna
ment is limited to the first 144
golfers and the registration dead
line is May 30.
Registrations should be made
with Gregory Martin at the Lan
caster Farm and Home Center,
Room 1, 1383 Arcadia Rd., Lan
caster, PA 17601, (717) 394-6851
or fax (717) 394-3962.
In October 1998, the EU
stopped approving any new agri
culture biotech products for
planting or import. This morato
rium had no effect on any previ
ously-approved products, such as
com and soy, which are still used
and are available in member
countries, but it froze the approv
al process in the EU. No biotech
product has ever been rejected
for approval in the EU.
Since the late 19905, the EU
has pursued policies that under
mine agricultural biotechnology
and trade in biotech foods. First,
six member states (Austria,
France, Germany, Italy, Greece,
and Luxemburg) banned modi
fied crops approved by the EU,
and the Commission refused to
challenge the illegal bans. In
1998, member states began block
ing all new biotech applications.
This approval moratorium is
causing a growing portion of U.S.
agricultural exports to be ex
cluded from EU markets and un
fairly casting concerns about bio
tech products around the world,
particularly in developing coun
tries.
The first step in a WTO dis
pute, which the United States
Holstein Association Announces
Junior Member Contest Semiflnalists
BRATTLEBORO, Vt. Hol
stein Association USA, Inc., this
week announced the 12 semifi
nalists in its annual Distin
guished Junior Member (DIM)
contest.
The semifinalists all have won
the Distinguished Junior Member
contest at their state level and
will compete at the 2003 National
Holstein Convention, June 21-24,
in Winston-Salem, N.C., to be
named a national finalist.
The status of Distinguished
Junior Member is the highest
honor the Association bestows
upon its junior members, which
membership base numbers more
than 10,000 nationally. Since
2003 PENNSV LV ANTA HOLSTEIN \SSOIT\ I'lON
(> TOP M CFNTRE/C LIN TON HOLSTEIN t LI 'B PK NIC
PAUL DOTTERER A SONS HARM MILL HALL FA
ji np ii
7 OOP M SOMERSET COHN IV CLUB PICNIC
1 \TI'( H BROTHERS DAIRV ROCKWOOD PA
JI'NL 14
- (KIP M SNYDER/CNION TWILIGHT MEETING
f 1 ARFNCE SHIRK FARM BEAVERTOWN. PA
lUMC 17
NATIONAL HOLSTEIN CONVENTION
ADAMS MARK HOTEL. WINSTON-SALEM NC
JUNE 21 24
12 00 NOON PA JUNIOR JUDGING SCHOOL
TIOGA COUNTY
JULY 8-9
PA HOLSTEIN ASSOCIATION SUMMER PICNIC AND ACTIVITIES
ALTOONA, PA
JULY 13
9 30AM YORK COUNTY HOLSTEIN SHOW
4 H CENTER, YORK, PA
JULY 23
10 00A M SOUTHWEST CHAMPIONSHIP SHOW
FAIRGROUNDS, UNIONTOWN, PA
JULY 26
9 30 A M NORTHERN TIER CHAMPIONSHIP SHOW
FAIRGROUNDS, MESHOPPEN, PA
JULY 31
9 30A M NORTHWEST CHAMPIONSHIP SHOW
FAIRGROUNDS, NEW CASTLE PA
AUGUST 1
12 00 NOON CLINTO COUNTY HOLSTEIN SHOW
FAIRGROUNDS, MACKEYVE.LE, PA
AUGUST 8
9 30A M SOUTH-CENTRAL CHAMPIONSHIP SHOW
FAIRGROUNDS, SHIPPENSBURG PA
AUGUST 9
11 OOA M WARREN COUNXY HOLSTEIN SAL E
FAIRGROUNDS, PITTSFIELD, PA
AUGUST 16
AUGUST 16
6 OOP M CENTRAL CHAMPIONSHIP SHOW
FAIRGROUNDS HUNTINGDON PA
9 30 A M NORIHEASI CHAMPIONSHIP SHOW
FAIgGROirNDS WHITNEYVILLE PA
AUGUST 19
9 30A M SOUTHEAST CHAMPIONSHIP SHOW
FAIRGROUNDS, LEBANON PA
AUGUST 20
9 30A M FRANKLIN COUNTY HOLSTEIN SHOW
FAIRGROUNDS CHAMBERSBURG, PA
AUGUST 23
and other countries are taking
today, is to request and conduct
consultations in the next 60 days.
WTO procedures are designed to
encourage parties to resolve their
differences. If at the end of the 60
days, no resolution has been
achieved, then the U.S. and the
cooperating countries may seek
the formation of a dispute set
tlement panel to hear arguments.
Dispute settlement procedures,
including appeal, typically take a
total of 18 months.
Joining Zoellick and Veneman
at the Washington announce
ment were Dr. C.S. Prakash (or
ganizer of a pro-agricultural bio
tech declaration signed by 20
Nobel Laureates and more than
3,200 scientists); T.J. Buthelezi, a
small farmer of biotech crops
from South Africa; Dr. Diran
Makinde, DVM, dean of the
School of Agriculture, University
of Venda for Science and Tech
nology, South Africa; Dr. Ariel
Alvarez-Morales, principal scien
tist, Department of Plant Genetic
Engineering, Center for Research
and Advanced Studies, Irapuato,
Mexico; and representatives from
countries participating in the
case.
1922, the contest has honored
more than 274 outstanding dairy
youth for their contributions to
the Association and the dairy in
dustry as a whole.
The semifinalists this year are:
Anthony Brey, Sturgeon Bay,
Wis; John Cannon, West Union,
Iowa; Benjamin Dorshorst, Junc
tion City, Wis; McKenzie Hane
han, Stillwater, N.Y.; Thomas
Harwood, Shippensburg, Pa; Ann
Haughian, Rice Lake, Wis; Mi
randa Miller, Tillamook, Ore.;
Trent Olson, Lewiston, Minn; Bill
Rauen, Farley, Iowa; Robert
Teixeira, Turlock, Calif.; Aaron
Ray Tompkins, Ennice, N.C.;
Chad Wethal, Brooklyn, Wis.
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